Shops, properties destroyed in Amravati, Sena leader calls BJP enemy of Maharashtra

Amravati: In a protest Bandh called by the right-wing group in response to Friday's protest held by the minority community over the recent violence in Tripura, several shops and private properties have been destroyed in the rampage in Maharashtra's Amravati today.

A huge mob that outnumbered the local police could not reportedly be controlled by the cane charging when it went on to vent their rage, vandalising the entire area. Only by bringing in Maharashtra State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and other 125 police personnel the tense situation could be brought under control.

Amravati district administration has also imposed a curfew in the area.

Reports suggested that today's violence was a follow-up of yesterday's violence but who went on rampaging the area today is believed to have linked to a political party. In the videos surfaced on new channels, several shops and other private properties are being destroyed by the huge mob in the presence of police whose efforts could not control the situation.

Some people from the minority community held a protest rally on Friday in Amravati, Nanded and Malegaon in protest against the recent attack on the minority community in Tripura. The people behind the rally had no permission from the police.

Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had on Friday promised stern action against those indulging in violence and the state BJP had called for a bandh in Amravati till 4 pm Saturday to mark their protest against violence.

Responding to the new developments in Amravati, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said despite the police's assurance that those who contested protest on Friday without permission would be behind the bars, today's protest was uncalled for.

He also blamed the BJP for the violence, saying the party could not do politics without using religious divide or caste divide or riots and the same picture can be seen in Amravati.

He called the violence a big conspiracy of the Opposition to destabilise Maharashtra and to create law and order problems. "They used central agencies like ED, CBI, income tax and NCB first, but could not succeed. So now they are orchestrating riots to destabilise Maharashtra, but they will fail here too," Raut said.

Terming the Opposition party in the state as the biggest enemy of the state, Raut said that the government will arrest those behind the violence and unmask them before the public so that people could under who the real culprits are.

Meanwhile, the Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis called the rallies in Maharashtra to protest against the Tripura incident seem to be a well-orchestrated conspiracy to foment communal clashes.