Tensions Rise in Nashik Over Demolition of Historic Dargah

Husain Dalwai, former Congress MP, was detained by police before reaching a demolition site in Nashik, where the razing of the 350-year-old Satpeer Baba Dargah incited violence. The demolition of the structure, seen as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity, resulted in the injury of 21 police officers and was accompanied by 42 arrests.

In Nashik, tensions escalated when former Congress MP Husain Dalwai was taken into preventive custody on Tuesday, ahead of his attempt to visit the site of a demolished religious structure, the Satpeer Baba Dargah.

The demolition, ordered by the Nashik Municipal Corporation, sparked violence on April 16, leaving 21 police personnel injured due to stone-pelting. Subsequently, 42 arrests have been made.

Dalwai, upon release, criticized the decision to remove the 350-year-old dargah, which he described as a symbol of communal harmony, and challenged the police to take action against a local BJP MLA, whom he claimed had orchestrated the dargah's removal for a temple construction.

(With inputs from agencies.)