Every crossroad in Kathe Gali, Nashik is barricaded. The local residents are as silent as the warm breeze that passes through the lanes. No one wants to talk about the events of April 15.
Two nights ago, around 11 pm, local police and Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) officials launched a coordinated operation to clear allegedly unauthorised structures in the Gali. The officials have said Bombay High Court had declared the area as an encroachment.
However, Supreme Court on April 16 ordered a stay on Nashik Municipal Corporation's April 1 demolition notice to the Hazrat Saatpeer Sayed Baba dargah in Nashik city, but the structure was razed by a civic squad hours before the court hearing.
The demolition drive, which was carried out with the help of four JCB machines, eight dumpers, and seven vehicles, unfolded under the cover of darkness. Upon discovering what was happening, the locals began pelting stones, and police said this forced them to resort to a lathi charge and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
When 바카라 visited on April 17, a palpable tension hangs in the air. The Saat Peer Baba Dargah stood nestled amidst homes of Hindu residents. Four saffron flags flanked the patch of green velvet around the shrine. Muslim residents who live nearby had gathered in front of the dargah throwing questions at the municipality. They are accusing it of infringing upon their faith.
The area largely comprises Hindu residents. They told 바카라 that they had raised questions about the dargah. “You see, there is no temple in this locality, so there shouldn’t be a dargah either,” said Shivaji Patel, 52, who lives in the neighbourhood. He brushed his moustache and mulled over why anyone would be upset—after all, it was their locality. “Recently, a lot of Muslims had started visiting the place, which caused a bit of uneasiness among the locals. Still, we didn’t do anything. It was the government라이브 바카라 order to remove the unauthorised place.” The area was sealed 15 minutes before the JCBs arrived on the spot. “People say the dargah was hundred years old. I can give guarantee of sixty-eight because that is my age,” Shivajii Bhalerao laughed. “But yes, that doesn’t matter as there were no papers to prove its existence.”
This was not the only religious structure that was demolished. A hanuman temple on the nearby circle, was torn down a month ago. On February 22, the NMC had tried to act on the same High Court order, removing several encroachments around the dargah along the Pune highway. However, the main structure was left untouched. The officials feared that protests might break out. Rising tensions had forced the officials to retreat, leaving the shrine standing temporarily.
This comes in the wake of plans to upgrade Nashik with the construction of new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and highways, as the city prepares to host the 2027 Nashik Kumbh Mela. “Before the demolition, the maulvis held a meeting and agreed to shift the dargah themselves on the 16th. It was decided that the NMC wouldn't carry out the demolition. Police began deploying guards around midnight on the 15th to ensure the process went smoothly,” said Sudheer Patil, the assistant police officer who was appointed as the remand officer for the fifteen people detained from the mob.
A local journalist, who has covered this area for six years, told 바카라, “It was done like a surgical strike; no one knew it was happening,” till people swarmed the site, clashing with the police, injuring 21 officers and torching two cars.
The police vehicles weren’t the only ones destroyed; several other vehicles parked around the dargah were also smashed. Police have seized these as evidence. The next day, along with the families of the accused, many others arrived to reclaim their vehicles.
Sakina (name changed), had come to Mumbai Naka police station with her mother-in-law looking for her husband. He was one of the fifteen people accused of mob violence and arrested by cops on April 16. Sakina was waiting for the remand officer to show up.
“We don’t even live here. We’re from Vadala Naka, which is quite far from this area. They picked up my husband yesterday at 2pm, saying we hadn’t paid the electricity bill. He라이브 바카라 been here ever since,” she cried. Family members gathered outside the station anxious about how long their relatives would remain in custody. “Everyone has a different story to tell. They’ve been picked up by the Crime Branch—if they’re not guilty, they’ll be released. But that doesn’t mean we believe everything being said. Even I can’t say anything violent happened that day. The dargah is still standing,” SI Santosh said.
Communal tensions have been gripping pockets of Maharashtra. It has not been a month since Nagpur voilance. The unrest began on an otherwise ordinary afternoon, when members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal gathered to stage a protest in Chitnis Park and Mahal area. Tensions simmered as the crowd grew louder, voices rising in unison, calling for the removal of Aurangzeb라이브 바카라 tomb. In a symbolic act, they burned an effigy of the Mughal emperor. But what truly set the spark to ablaze was the alleged burning of a 'chadar'—a sacred cloth inscribed with Quranic verses.
“Now it could have been our turn. The demolition was rushed to incite communal violence,” said Fahim Shaikh, a member of the Hazrat Saatpeer Sayed Baba Dargah Trust. His statement comes in the wake of the dargah being demolished on April 16, just days before the matter was scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on April 21. The Trust alleges that the Bombay High Court라이브 바카라 orders were hurriedly executed, bypassing due process.
Two years ago, similar tensions had developed in Trimbakeshwar temple. In the temple, a quiet ritual turned controversial. Members of the Muslim community arrived with incense and a chadar, intending to offer it at the temple steps. A gesture many say had been part of an old, syncretic tradition. But that time, security personnel stopped them, barring access and sparking tensions. What was once a silent act of reverence became a matter of debate, prompting the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
“Nashik has often been roped into communal tensions, but none have ever triggered fear deep within a community. It has mostly been peaceful,” said Trupti Jat, a civil lawyer residing in the city.
