Trustees of Chhota Shaikh Salla Dargah Trust on Saturday assured the PMC and Pune City Police that they would themselves remove the illegal construction at the place of worship in Kasba Peth area.
Tension prevailed in the city as a large number of people from the Muslim community from across the city began gathering at the dargah from Friday night and in the daytime on Saturday following “rumours” that PMC would demolish the alleged illegal structure at the religious place. Thereupon, a huge police force was deployed in the area to prevent violation of law and order.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, who monitored the situation on the ground, appealed to people to maintain peace and ensured that no untoward incident took place. When the situation became tense, additional police force was called in. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar visited the spot and urged people to not pay heed to rumours.
The crowds dispersed from the spot only around 5 pm on Saturday. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and BJP have been claiming that the dargah was built on a temple (Punyeshwar) during the Mughal era. They also claim that as per the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) there is evidence of a temple at the dargah site.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
