The Kolhapur police have arrested 36 persons, including three minors, in connection with the unrest in Kolhapur city over ‘objectionable’ social media messages reportedly glorifying Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and 18th C. Mysore state ruler Tipu Sultan even as the city limped back to normalcy on Thursday.
Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit said three criminal cases in three different police stations had been registered following the violence which erupted on Wednesday after several members of right-wing groups had gathered at the city’s Shivaji Chowk to protest against these allegedly objectionable social media messages.
“We have booked 400 people in the three first information reports [FIRs] registered in connection with Wednesday’s violence. So far, 36 individuals have been arrested for vandalism and rioting. A fourth FIR had been registered on Tuesday over the WhatsApp statuses which carried an image of Tipu Sultan and Aurangzeb along with offensive audio messages that triggered the subsequent protests and violence. Five juveniles have been detained in this context. We are also probing their mobile phones,” Mr. Pandit said.
