In Kolhapur, 2 friends run paan shop together for 23 years: ‘Never occurred that we were from different religions’

On June 7, a mob of few thousands had gathered at Shivaji Chowk to respond to a bandh call by Hindu right wing organisations who claimed that a social media post allegedly glorifying Mughal emperor Aurangzeb hurt the feelings of Hindus. The mob turned violent, pelted stones and tore digital signboards of shops owned by Muslims.

Till Thursday evening, Kolhapur police had made more than 40 arrests and were in the process of identifying 300-400 protesters who indulged in violence. The district administration restored internet service on Friday, after 48 hours of affecting routine businesses in the city.

Chowgule and Tamboli run the paan shop since 2000 and wonder what changed in Kolhapur, which had never witnessed communal violence. Their business has now been passed onto the next generation.

“My wife is like his (Tamboli) sister and so is his wife to me. We go to each other’s house during festivals. When Taufik (Tamboli’s son) goes to Mumbai, he stays with my elder brother. We are so closely knit that religious identities were never a problem to us,” Chowgule said.

Pointing to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Tamboli said, “We pass by that statue daily and consider him our true king. Almost 90 per cent of our friends are Hindus. Why would any of us try to disturb peace in our life?”

Few metres ahead in Ganji gully, the scene was different. Sources in Kolhapur police said Hindu houses in the area were provided with saffron flags to mark them, on the night of June 6. “The investigation is in progress. But initial information shows that it was done to point out which houses are not to be targeted,” an official said.

A Hindu resident said on the condition of anonymity that those youngsters who pelted stones were not local people. “When I tried to shout at them, I was abused. I had no option but to back off in front of a mob of over hundred with stones,” he said.

Local Congress leader Taufik Mulani said that the violent mob threw stones at the building of Muslim boarding started by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. “Did they even realise that there were throwing stones at a structure set up by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj? Moreover, it was the headquarters for activities and meetings when Maratha silent march was held in Kolhapur,” he said.

All mosques in Kolhapur appealed for peace in the city after the Friday prayers. For Chowgule and Tamboli, friendship is sacred and so is their respective religions. “We treat each other as a human being. That’s the success of our long partnership,” he said.