Representative image showing a blast.
Credit: iStock Photo
Mumbai: In a shocking incident, gelatine sticks exploded inside a mosque in the Beed district located in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra in the wee hours of Sunday sending the police and security forces to a tizzy.
Besides, the incident is set to snowball into a political issue in Maharashtra.
The incident was reported around 0330 hrs from the Ardhmasla village in the Georai tehsil, nearly 450 kms away from Mumbai.
The incident coincided with the Eid ul-Fitr festivities leading to tension among two communities after which security was heightened in Beed.
According to investigations, gelatine sticks were allegedly kept by a man.
No casualties were reported.
However, the mosque structure sustained damage because of the blast.
Two suspects, Vijay Rama Gavhane (22) and Sriram Ashok Sagde (24), have been arrested.
Special Inspector General of Police Virendra Mishra, who heads the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar range, visited the site, while Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat was present in the village throughout the day overseeing the investigations.
“The information has been received; the information about who did it has also been received. The concerned SP will give the rest of the information,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, said.
Police have deployed heavy security in the village to prevent any law and order issues on the eve of the Eid festivities in Beed.
"We received a call from the village sarpanch, and the local police arrived within minutes. Within an hour, our Additional Superintendent of Police, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad team and other officials reached the spot. The incident involved a blast at a mosque using gelatin. An FIR was filed based on the complainant's statement,” Kanwat said.
A video of the suspect with gelatine sticks in his hand too has gone viral on social media platforms.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi said that this is a result of daily rhetoric against Muslims. "Politicians are spewing venom day in and day out against Muslims,” said Azmi, who is the state unit SP President, adding that even ministers of the MahaYuti-NDA government are using inflammatory language.
According to locals, there was a scuffle between two groups on Saturday night during a 'Sandal' procession at the village. During the Gudi Padwa festival, Hindus visit Hazrat Sayyed Badshah Dargah near the mosque, a villager said. As the joint celebration for Gudhi Padwa and Ramzan Eid was scheduled on Sunday morning, the accused might have acted in such a way.