Pune (Maharashtra) [India], August 1 : Tension that erupted in Yavat village in Pune district, following a social media post, was brought under control by police on Friday, said police.
Special Inspector General (IG) for Kolhapur, Sunil Phulari, told ANI that the situation had been peacefully stabilised after violence broke out involving stone-pelting, arson, and vandalism of property, including a religious place.
The police said that the violence caused damage to two cars, a motorcycle, a bakery, and a religious prayer place. "Stones were hurled on the glass windows of cars. So two car windows were damaged, one motorcycle was also torched, and one bakery was also damaged. One religious prayer place is also damaged to some extent," he said.
He added that police forces immediately controlled the incident in the area and they are in the process of identifying the culprits who did this mischief.
The unrest began after a local youth posted an objectionable message on social media, sparking outrage among residents. Police have booked a local boy who posted an objectionable post on social media.
"Local Police have detained him. But despite that, some local youths went out of control and this thing happened today," Phulari told ANI.
Despite the temporary chaos, law enforcement officials managed to bring the situation under control with help from local residents. He confirmed the deployment of adequate security personnel, including manpower from Pune Rural Police and one company of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF).
Furthermore, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that Section 144 had been imposed for 48 hours following a tense situation.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier in the day appealed to the public to maintain peace and cooperation after tensions flared up and a heavy deployment of Police personnel was made in the area. Police said that the incident occurred in the village a week ago, so the situation was already tense.