Ahead of the attack by a large group on the Muslim community while breaking fast, the Pune rural police have identified at least 10 persons involved in the attack in the Kondhwa area near a lake in Askarwadi village in the Purandar taluka of the Pune district. The attack happened on March 13.
The investigation is underway; ten suspects have been identified till now, and the search is ongoing for others. The additional superintendent of police, Ganesh Biradar, said, “A probe into the incident is on. We have so far identified ten suspects, and a search is for them. Attempts are on to identify more assailants.”
The incident unfolded when a group of Muslim men gathered near a lake in Oskarwadi village in Purandar taluka to break their fast during the last few days of Ramadan. What they meant was a mob of over 100 people, who later assaulted them, leading to injuries to those present. A complaint was later filed at Saswad Police Station, and a case was registered against 100-150 unidentified persons.
As per the reports of the Hindustan Times, those who present said that 14 of them gathered to break fast when they were attacked by a mob linked to right wing groups.
“The youths had assembled at an open spot near a pond in the area to have an iftar meal when a large group of men approached them and questioned their presence. The attackers allegedly asked what they were doing at the location and whether the land belonged to them. Before the youths could respond, the mob allegedly surrounded them and assaulted them with sticks and iron rods,” one of the victims told Hindustan Times.
Following this, an FIR in the case was lodged at the Saswad police station by Feroz Sayyad (36), a resident of Kondhwa in Pune city.
Those who sustained injuries in the incident were provided treatment at a hospital. As per the FIR, around 100 to 150 unidentified persons have been booked under Sections 118(1), 189(2), 190, 191(2), 191(3), 351(2), 351(3), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections of the Indian Arms Act. A team headed by Police Inspector Kumar Kadam of the Saswad police station is investigating the matter.
