The Maharashtra government has announced Rs 1.49 crore as aid to cover the losses of houses and properties in the communal violence that took place at Gajapur village near Vishalgadh in Kolhapur district on July 14.
According to the government resolution, on July 14, houses and public properties at Gajapur’s Musalman Vadi were vandalised by a mob that had gathered to remove encroachments at Vishalgadh.
A financial aid of Rs 24.50 lakh has already been distributed through the district disaster management authority for 56 affected families and the repair of 42 affected houses. As per the panchnama by a tehsildar of Shahuwadi tehsil, an additional proposal of Rs 1.49 crore to distribute among the violence-affected individuals has been presented. The state government has accepted the proposal.
On July 14, 2024, Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje, former Rajya Sabha MP and son of Kolhapur LS MP Shahu Maharaj Chhatrapati, gave a call to his supporters to gather at the fort to remove encroachments that are harming the sanctity of the fort. The call, however, turned into a riotous situation where the alleged “Shiv Bhakts” vandalised the properties of Muslim residents in the vicinity and even attacked a local mosque. The incident took place around three kilometres from the fort in a village called Gajapur, where the residents claim they are not encroachers.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
