Although the Beed Masjid blast seems to have been the handiwork of two communally charged Hindu youngsters, unlike previous Masjid blast cases in Maharashtra involving radical Hindutva groups, the case has not yet been turned over to the specialised terror agencies NIA or ATS. Nor was accused charged under the Anti-Terror Law,giving the impression of double standard in handling terror cases.
On March 29 (Saturday night around 2:30 am), a bomb went off in Makkah Masjid in Ardhamasla village, Tahsil Georai, Beed district.
The blast triggered outrage in the area. Despite the terror act, Muslims maintained restraint and peace. However, in protest they gave a call for bandh in Georai town and surrounding villages. Police claimed that the accused reportedly committed the crime over a dispute with Muslims.
“The accused was arrested from a nearby area of the mosque. He used gelatin sticks, which are used for digging wells. One of the accused works with a well-digging company, from which he learnt to make gelatin sticks. We are investigating the case from a larger perspective as well,” said Beed SP Navneet Kanwat.
Police identified the suspects after one of the accused posted the incident’s video on his Instagram account. According to the FIR, the accused committed the crime after a scuffle with people who had participated in a procession organised in Ardhamasla. The two suspects came to the spot around 9:30 p.m. and raised casteist slurs, attempting to incite communal tension among the various communities.
Later, in the early hours, the gelatin sticks were placed inside the mosque, causing the explosion. Police reached the spot after the village Sarpanch informed them about the incident.
The two accused identified as Vijay Ghavane and ShiramSagade are booked under Section 298 (offence of destroying places of worship), 299 (malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 196(g) fire or explosive substance (speech that promotes disharmony), 326, 351(2,3) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional breach of peace), 3(5) (joint criminal liability for the crime) 61(2)(criminal conspiracy) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and others.
However, lawyers and Muslim leaders were not happy with the way accused were treated with kid-gloves. They asked why the police have not charged the accused with the anti-terrorism law.
They also asked why the two have not been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Raising this pertinent question, Javed Shaikh, an SC lawyer, underlined that the Beed explosion was a terrorist attack.
“The application of UAPA is appropriate in this circumstance,” Javed told Radiance.
Muslim leaders said the incident has raised community concerns, particularly because one of the accusedboasted about his involvement in the explosion without having to worry about the consequences.
In a message on ‘X’ Owaisi said the Masjid suffered grave damage and the attack has shaken the Muslims of the village. He asked why the CM Devendra Fadnavis had applied the ‘weak’ sections of BNS and IEA and not UAPA. “Are they not terrorists? Will these accused get bulldozer justice? Will they be made to pay compensation for rebuilding the mosque?” he asked.
Maharashtra MLA Abu Asim Azmi also raised the same question. “The people of Maharashtra are questioning the government as to why minor charges have been slapped on the accused. “Is Maharashtra’s system of justice based on religion? When will these terrorists’ homes be destroyed by bulldozers?”
Azmi urged said, “We demand that this case be turned over to the NIA and ATS and that those responsible for this incident be exposed and dealt with severely.”
Advocate AK Pathan asked if the government will look into whether the attack was the result of a conspiracy. “Somebody is working in the background because they do not want communal harmony. Will there be an impartial investigation?”
Sheikh Abdul Mujeeb led a delegation from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra, to the Makkah Masjid in Ardhamasla. The delegation comforted the locals and obtained information on the explosion.
Another delegation led by Ali Niaz Ali Syed, in-charge of Sunni Eidgah and Jamia Masjid Nematpura (Bhilpura) in Jalgaon submitted a formal demand to the district administration, urging authorities to demolish the houses of the accused – mirroring action taken in Nagpur.
They met Deputy Collector Ankush Pinate and handed over a letter addressed to the Maharashtra CM and Jalgaon District Collector. The letter called for “strict legal action” against the suspects, including demolition of their homes, similar to the bulldozer operation carried out against Fahim Khan, an accused in last month’s Nagpur violence.
Following the explosion incident, the local BJP MLA and other sectarian groups were also involved in politics and trying to defend the accused.
Speaking with Radiance, Qazi Makhdoom, editor of a local daily Tameer, said one of the accused’s father used to clean the mosque whose residence is adjacent to the mosque. He said both the accused belonged to the Maratha community. However, several Maratha leaders, including Beed MP Bajrang Manohar Sonwane, former Maharashtra minister Badamrao Pandit and others visited the village the next day and broke the fast with Muslims, he said.
The blast at the mosque in Ardhamasla village brought back memories of previous terror attacks by allegedly Hindutva extreme organisations that targeted mosques after Friday prayers in several Maharashtra towns. In an affidavit submitted to the Nanded sessions court, former RSS member Yashwant Shinde asserted that Hindutva organisations were responsible for these attacks.
Recall that in 2004, two explosions in the Maharashtra towns of Jalna and Purna injured 18 persons. Both bombings targeted mosques and happened within 15 minutes of one another.
In an interview with Yashwant Shinde, RSS member and former chief of Bajrang Dal, Maharashtra, The Caravan noted, “In 2003 and 2004, he alleged, his fellow trainees bombed mosques in the Maharashtra towns of Jalna, Purna and Parbhani. Others who allegedly helped facilitate the conspiracy have been tied to a bombing campaign that killed more than one hundred and twenty people over five years. Most of Shinde’s claims line up with the details of these cases in media reports and court records.”
In an affidavit filed in the Nanded Sessions court, Shinde claims that senior RSS leaders facilitated training for him and others in the use of modern firearms as well as bomb-making in preparation for a widespread terror campaign.
After the blast, insecurity feeling among the Muslim population in the state has heightened. They expressed great alarm over the occurrences of communal incidents and tensions. Aurangzeb’s graveyard was the first point of contention. The Bhayandar dargah problem comes next. Now there is a blast in Beed. Even mainstream politicians are involved in inciting communal tensions with their speeches, they said.
[As we go to the Press on April 7, the two accused, seemingly under mounting pressure, have been reportedly arrested under UAPA.]