Maharashtra: Many shops damaged in Yavatmal district over alleged social media post of Prophet Mohammad

The jihadi miscreants heavily damaged many vehicles belonging to the Hindu community and damaged the private property of local Hindu traders around the area.

In a series of communal violence in Maharashtra, it's now the turn of the Yavatmal district. On Friday (December 10) night, a group of jihadi miscreants burnt a few shops and looted some in Umarkhed, a tahsil town in Yavatmal district. They were demanding the arrest of some youngsters who allegedly posted an alleged derogatory post about Mohammad Paigambar, a prophet who created Islam.

According to local reporters and citizens, the mob visited the Umarkhed police station on Friday noon and launched an FIR against some youngsters whom they alleged posting a derogatory post about Prophet Mohammad on Instagram. They also alleged that the Instagram account holders who posted this are from Umarkhed and the said account is now not visible on social media. The local police said they could not trace the Instagram accounts and asked Cyber Crime cell for help. 

But the jihadi mob wanted instant action and revisited the police station in large numbers. They insisted that the culprits be arrested instantly, even if their identities were not confirmed. After heated discussions, the police officers convinced them to wait patiently for a couple of days. But once its leaders came out of the police station, the jihadi mob, which was around two hundred in numbers, went berserk, damaging the private property of local Hindu traders around the area. One shop in Nag Chawk, an automobile spare shop, was completely burnt down, and many others were looted. The rioting happened after 8.30 PM. The jihadi miscreants heavily damaged many vehicles belonging to the Hindu community. 

The markets in Umarkhed remained closed on Saturday to protest the attacks on the Hindu community. The traders' association has demanded stern action against the miscreants. According to local media reports, the police have arrested eight miscreants. 

But locals are not satisfied with police action as they say that the actual rioters are roaming free, and police have not mentioned the names of the jihadists in the FIR and only registered a case against "unidentified mob". But the police claim the opposite. Some locals say the said derogatory video was broadcasted on a private WhatsApp group and was not on Instagram, and police are looking in the wrong direction. The private chat video was not meant for public viewing, and it's a matter of investigation that how it went viral outside the said private chat.