12,000 Muslim protesters march to Mumbai, demand action against BJP MLA and preacher for hate speech
- In Reports
- 08:04 PM, Sep 24, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Monday afternoon a large group of Muslim community members in hundreds of vehicles, led by former MP Imtiaz Jaleel of AIMIM and other political and social groups from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar attempted to enter Mumbai late at night demanding action against BJP MLA Nitesh Rane and preacher Ramgiri Maharaj over separate hate speech cases filed against them.
However, the crowd of more than 12,000 people left the Mulund toll Naka after submitting their representation with the divisional collector and other representatives late on Monday night. The "Tiranga Samvidhan Rally," a protest march, got underway in Sambhajinagar. Hundreds of cars from various parts of Marathwada arrived in Sambhajinagar and began travelling towards Mumbai via the Samruddhi Super Expressway, causing traffic jams in their path. This was the first time, according to the police, that cars taking part in a protest rally caused a jam on the Samruddhi expressway.
Jaleel was demanding that Nitesh Rane and Ramgiri Maharaj be taken into custody for their allegedly provocative statements. He intended to hand copies of the Constitution to senior police officers and members of the ruling Mahayuti party. At Mulund Toll Naka, a major entry point to Mumbai, barricades were erected by Mumbai police, who claimed Jaleel had not been given permission to enter the city. Traffic was redirected and over 3,000 police officers were stationed at the toll plaza and other locations throughout the city.
Satyanarayan Choudhary, the joint commissioner of police (law and order), who was on the scene observing the situation, confirmed the crowd left on Monday night after giving their letter to government representatives. An officer reported that nearly two thousand vehicles participated in the demonstration. He also mentioned that vehicles carrying activists from the Dalit and Maratha communities also joined the Muslim rally.
The cars that had entered the expressway from Sambhajinagar through the Harsul Sawangi junction had already caused the first traffic jam. Numerous locations experienced similar circumstances up until Mulund Naka, where the police blocked the entry point. The rally even included private buses and mini-trucks. As a precaution, teams from the state intelligence agency and Sambhajinagar police were dispatched to the rally.
The Mumbai police had made plans for the cavalcade to be stopped at Mulund Naka and asked to return.
After arriving in Mumbra and making her way to Mumbai, Jaleel said, "We are going to Mumbai to make a representation to the chief minister and deputy CM (Fadnavis), who also holds charge of the home department. We will remind them that it is their duty to ensure that the law prevails. Our protest is against state inaction against Ramgiri Maharaj and Nitesh Rane, who are already booked in several FIRs for inciting communal sentiments and for hate speeches."
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