Facebook post on Ambedkar sparks violence in Maharashtra

The posting of allegedly objectionable images of Dalit leader Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on Facebook on Saturday night, sparked stray incidents of arson in Pune, Aurangabad and Solapur on Sunday, the police said .

The cyber cell of the Pune police has registered a case against ‘unknown people’.

This comes just a week after derogatory images of Maratha king Shivaji and late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray were posted on Facebook leading to violence in western Maharashtra. It is also believed to have caused the killing of Pune techie Mohsin Shaikh allegedly by a mob of Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) activists.

On Sunday, five Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses were vandalised in Pune, the police said. Sporadic incidents of stone pelting were also reported in Aurangabad and Solapur districts.

While the police managed to delete the post on Dr. Ambedkar, they have asked Facebook to share details on the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the server from where the pictures were originally posted and subsequently circulated.

Meanwhile, the State home department has submitted a preliminary report to the Central government on the murder of the Pune techie saying the incident was a case of law and order failure. But sources say the Centre has asked the State home department to investigate if it was a case of communal violence.