In the face of allegations that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal had instigated the riots in Thane, the Sangh Parivar outfits went on the defensive on Wednesday and alleged that “fundamentalist Muslims” and outfits like the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) were responsible for the “pre-planned” flare-up. VHP leader Venkatesh Abdeo also blamed extremists for a similar communal clash at Murud in Raigad and sought to corner the state government over the high number of casualties among police personnel in the Thane violence. “It is condemnable but also laughable. The state government’s security mechanism has collapsed. How can a government which is unable to protect its policemen protect the people?” said Abdeo. He added that the attacks on the police showed the strength of the attackers and claimed that the riots were “pre-planned.” Abdeo also blamed politicians like Mumbai Congress president Kripashanker Singh and NCP Thane unit chief Jitendra Awhad for trying to pander to minority votes. “Someone else has instigated the riot, but the Bajrang Dal is blamed for it. This is an attempt to defame it. People know who has indulged in rioting,” said Abdeo, pointing to newspaper reports blaming the Sangh Parivar outfits for the communal disturbance. Abdeo and VHP Thane chief Dr Sunil Ranade said that the Bajrang Dal cadre had in fact helped the police quell the disturbance. Ranade alleged that the riot had not been sparked off over the issue of an arch of a Navratri pandal being set up close to a masjid, as was being alleged, and claimed that the riots were pre-planned. He also alleged that “SIMI and fundamentalist Muslims” had used the issue of the arch as a “pretext” to spark off the disturbance, and pointed to statements made by outgoing Thane joint commissioner of police Madhu Shinde about sleeper cells being active in the area.
