Bhopal: Police demolished 3 houses of Muslims following a dispute between 14-year-old Salman Khan and 32-year-old Shivlal Patidar over a speeding motorcycle issue which turned into a communal clash on the seventh day of Navratri in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur on October 2, after which police killed three Muslims. The houses of the accused were demolished.
According to News Click, the incident took place in Mouz Sarjani, near the venue of a garba ceremony. There are more than 100 houses in this village, including 29 Muslim houses. After the incident, the police registered a case against 19 Muslims and detained 7 people including the minor boy Salman. He was accused of pelting stones at Garba ceremony.
Within 12 hours of registering the FIR, the district administration posted building permission notices outside the houses of the three accused. The next day, all the three houses were demolished. Also, on the day of the incident, a mob set fire to a truck owned by a Muslim man at 10:45 pm. However, Ansar Khan, the owner of the truck, did not file a complaint against the arson incident as the villagers warned him that if he went to the police station to lodge an FIR, he would face dire consequences.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sandeep Shiv while talking to News Click said that the houses of the three accused including Salman’s father Aklu Pathan, Sohail’s father Jafar Khan and Rais Khan were constructed without obtaining building permission from the Panchayat Department. A notice was put up on October 3 and the houses were demolished the next day. He said that the accused were given enough time to present their case.
On October 2, there was a row over speeding. Shivlal had complained to Salman’s grandfather Hafeez Khan, 62, who was sitting near the garba pandal constructed near the Ambe Mata temple in the village. Salman and his friends Sohail and Raees abused Shivlal after seeing him complaining to Dada. Salman’s grandfather scolded and slapped him in front of the villagers, but even then the issue was not resolved.
Salman’s friend Mahesh and others who were standing near the garba pandal rushed there with sticks and rods. Salman and his younger friends gathered there and after a heated argument between the two groups, the busiest area of the village turned into a battleground. The two groups pelted stones at each other and a few people were injured. Reported News Click.
Salman’s grandfather Hafeez Khan further said that within minutes of the altercation, youths from both sides gathered there and a fight broke out and stones were pelted by both sides. During the fight, Shivlal’s friend Mahesh was stabbed.
Local people reported it to the police control at around 8 pm. Police arrived at the scene. Inspector Dinesh Prajapati of Seetamau police station detained the three Muslim youths from their homes and took them to the police station. 4 people were arrested after the incident. A team of 200 police personnel was also deployed in the village to prevent further clashes.
