Latur violence: Waris Pathan seeks action against those who beat up cop

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen legislator Waris Pathan on Monday gave a memorandum to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking action against people who allegedly beat up a police constable in Latur on the day of Shiv Jayanti. In the memorandum, the AIMIM MLA has claimed that last Friday, a mob of around 200-250 people (activists of Shiv Sena and BJP) dragged assistant police constable Shaikh Yunus Pashamiyan out of the police chowki and attacked him with iron rods. The API has been hospitalised with grievous injuries on his head. The AIMIM claimed that the constable was attacked because he did not allow Sena-BJP workers to put up flags at communally sensitive areas. The CM said that he would look into the matter.

According to reports, two policemen were beaten up allegedly by a mob for objecting to a saffron flag being put up on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti at a controversial spot in Paangav village of the Latur district on Friday, when Shiv Jayanti was observed in the state. In the incident, head constable Pashamiyan (57), one of the police officers, sustained severe injuries.

“Around 200-250 activists of Shiv Sena and BJP attacked the police chowki on Sunday. The policeman has got 15 stitches on his head. The attackers had political backing because of which they dared to commit this act,” MLA Pathan said.

The AIMIM has demanded that there should be a high-level inquiry into the incident and the case should be heard before a fast track court. The party has also demanded that the government must pay for the medical treatment of the constable and if he is permanently injured and cannot resume his duty, then one of his family members should be provided a government job.

According to the police, the alleged incident took place when a group of locals wanted to put a flag and a bust of Shivaji in a square in Shivajinagar area, where an old mosque and a Buddhist stupa stand. There had been a dispute about celebration of Shiv Jayanti at this spot earlier. On the evening of February 18, Shaikh and another constable visited the spot and requested the group to remove the saffron flag.

The flag was then removed. But the next morning, a mob of 100 odd people attacked Pangaav police chowki and ransacked it. While Pashamiyan’s colleague succeeded in fleeing, Mr Pashamiyan was thrashed by the mob and taken to the disputed spot where he was forced to put up the flag. Then he was again beaten up, according to the complaint filed by him. The nearby Renapur police station sent a police force to the village a couple of hours later and arrested 14 persons. Mr Pashamiyan and his colleague are currently admitted at the Latur civil hospital.

District superintendent of police Dr Dnyaneshwar Chavan told PTI, “An attack on a policeman doing his duty is unprecedented in our state. We will arrest the remaining accused soon.”

Mr Pashamiyan later told PTI that he was only doing his duty. “On the previous night I had requested the people humbly to remove the flag as there was a dispute and it was a sensitive matter.” Meanwhile, various social organisations from the Marathwada region of Maharashtra condemned the attack on the two cops. They demanded that strict action be taken against the accused.