Kolhapur Violence: Protest over social media message turns violent; curfew imposed

Protest over social media message turns violent in Kolhapur city; curfew imposed


Introduction

On June 7, 2023, a violent clash broke out between two groups in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra over some social media status messages reportedly glorifying Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. The authorities imposed a curfew and suspended internet services to restore law and order in the area. The incident sparked a political controversy with the ruling party and the opposition accusing each other of encouraging communal incidents.

Background

The Kolhapur police had launched a probe into some social media status messages showing images of Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan accompanied by audio messages allegedly objectionable to Hindu sentiments, as claimed by right-wing outfits. The authorities said they had lodged a complaint against those who had put up these objectionable statuses and had managed to pacify leaders of the Hindutva outfits to call off their demonstration on June 7. However, the protests spiralled out of control by 11.30 a.m. after some unruly elements resorted to stone-pelting.

Details

By noon, the demonstrators became aggressive with reports of a mob entering Muslim-dominated localities and resorting to stone-pelting, destroying shop facades, overturning handcarts. Following fracas between groups of both religious denominations, the police resorted to lathi charge and dispersed the crowd. Visuals from the clash site in Kolhapur shared on social media showed scores of people gathered on the streets. Local police imposed curfew after the protest turned violent in the area.

Reactions

Responding to the development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said it is the government’s responsibility to maintain law and order in the state and he also urged people to maintain peace and calm. “Police investigation is underway and action will be taken against those found guilty,” he said. He also said that the state government would not tolerate anyone “glorifying Aurangzeb” in the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

On the other hand, NCP chief Sharad Pawar accused the ruling party of encouraging communal incidents and said that such incidents were not good for the state’s development. He also demanded a thorough inquiry into the matter and asked the government to take strict action against those who were involved in spreading hatred through social media.


Conclusion

The Kolhapur incident is one of the many cases of violence triggered by social media posts in recent times. In April 2022, a similar clash had erupted in Karnataka’s Hubbali city after a local youth had purportedly posted a provocative message on social media³. In November 2021, section 144 was imposed in Sangli district of Maharashtra after protests over violence in Tripura turned violent. In June 2022, protests over comments on Prophet Muhammad turned violent in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, leading to curfew and internet shutdown in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

These incidents raise serious questions about the role of social media in fomenting communal tensions and violence in India. They also highlight the need for effective regulation of online content and platforms to prevent misuse and abuse of freedom of expression. Moreover, they call for greater awareness and responsibility among social media users to refrain from posting or sharing anything that may hurt the sentiments of any community or group.

Source: 
(1) Curfew Imposed in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur After Protest Turns Violent. https://www.india.com/maharashtra/curfew-imposed-in-maharashtras-kolhapur-after-protest-turns-violent-6096080/.
(3) Violence in Karnataka’s Hubbali: Around 40 People Arrested, Curfew Imposed. https://www.thequint.com/news/india/violence-over-communal-social-media-post-karnatakas-hubbali.
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