An FIR has been registered against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande and 8 others under Maharashtra police act 37, 135, for burning an effigy of Aurangzeb in the aftermath of Kolhapur violence, said Mumbai Police on Thursday. Tensions erupted in Maharashtra's Kolhapur following protests over an alleged objectionable social media status involving 18th century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, PTI reported.
Some organisations had called for ‘Kolhapur bandh’ in protest against locals who allegedly used Tipu Sultan's image with an objectionable ‘audio’ message on their social media profiles. Another report by Hindustan Times' sister website Live Hindustan said the locals had put up posts supporting Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.Some right-wing activists gathered at the Shivaji Chowk to register their protest. According to police, the crowd had dispersed after the demonstration ended. However, they were attacked by miscreants who pelted stones at them, Kolhapur superintendent of police Mahendra Pandit told PTI. In a video shared by PTI, the police personnel were seen using force to disperse the crowd. Maharashtra guardian minister Dipak Kesarkar informed that the action had been taken against those who used Tipu Sultan's image in the social media post.“Additional deployment has been done. So far 21 people have been detained. The situation is under control now”, Pandit told ANI.