Tension in Nashik over demolition of illegal dargah; Islamists pelts stones

Violence broke out in the Kathe Galli area of Nashik’s Dwarka locality late on April 15 when a municipal team, accompanied by police forces, attempted to demolish an allegedly illegal dargah. Taking advantage of a power outage, a mob of Islamist protesters began pelting stones, injuring four civic officials and 31 police personnel. Five vehicles were also damaged during the attack.

The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) had served a notice on April 1, declaring the structure unauthorised and instructing that it be removed within 15 days. With no action taken, the authorities proceeded with demolition on April 16, accompanied by police for security.

“The trustees of the Dargah and local citizens had agreed to remove the construction. Accordingly, all of them had gathered on Tuesday at 11 pm. At the same time, a crowd arrived from the direction of Usmania Chowk, and chaos broke out. The trustees and eminent citizens tried to reason with the mob. Senior police officers also attempted to calm the situation, but the crowd did not listen to anyone and began pelting stones,” said Kiran Kumar Chavan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Nashik.

Chavan stated that the police used tear gas shells and conducted a mild baton charge to disperse the protesters. “During the stone-pelting, 31 police officers sustained minor injuries. As of now, 15 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violence, and 57 two-wheelers, allegedly used by the mob, have been confiscated,” DCP Chavan informed the media.

Officials stated that the situation escalated shortly after midnight when misinformation spread rapidly, attracting a crowd of over 400 people. Despite the presence of 500 police officers, the mob began pelting stones, prompting authorities to deploy tear gas to disperse the crowd and restore order.

Court Ruling on Dargah’s Illegality

This incident follows previous actions in the area. On February 22, the Nashik Municipal Corporation had cleared encroachments from several unauthorised religious structures. Subsequently, a court ruled that the dargah in question was illegal and mandated its complete removal. The recent demolition was conducted in accordance with this court order. To manage the growing tensions, Nashik Police have also altered traffic routes in and around the locality.