“if our religious place is damaged using an explosive, the UAPA is not implemented,” Imtiaz Jaleel said.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Former MP and AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel on Monday (March 31, 2025) demanded that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act be invoked against two persons arrested for allegedly planting gelatin sticks and triggering a blast inside a mosque in Maharashtra’s Beed district.
A blast occurred at a mosque in Ardha Masla village in Georai tehsil in the early hours of Sunday (March 30, 2025), ahead of Gudi Padwa and Ramzan Eid celebrations. Nobody was injured, but the internal portion of the structure suffered damage in the explosion.
Within hours, the police arrested Vijay Rama Gavhane (22) and Sriram Ashok Sagde (24) for allegedly attempting to blow up the religious structure.
Speaking to reporters after Eid prayers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mr. Jaleel demanded that the stringent UAPA be invoked against the two accused.
“If a Muslim is responsible for even a small incident, his house is bulldozed. But if our religious place is damaged using an explosive, the UAPA is not implemented. The law should be the same for everyone,” he said.
He demanded strict action against the culprits to ensure such incidents don’t recur.
“We welcome the police’s swift action in the case. But the UAPA should be invoked,” he said.
Mr. Jaleel also criticised the demolition of the house of the accused arrested for the violence in Nagpur.
“If the accused has done something wrong, what is his family’s fault? It is now being said that the house was an encroachment. Was the local administration asleep all these years?” he remarked.
An official from the Beed police said the accused arrested for the Beed mosque have been sent to police custody till April 3.
Published – March 31, 2025 03:22 pm IST
