Four days after a mob attacked an Iftar gathering in the Saswad area of rural Pune, the police are yet to make any arrest. 

An FIR was filed hours after the incident against ‘unidentified persons’ under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal intimidation, etc. The police have also invoked Sections 4 and 25 of the Arms Act, 1959, and Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951.

On the evening of March 13, at around 6.30 pm, by the lakeside at Bopdev Ghat, near Saswad, Pune, a mob had descended on a gathering of Muslim youths breaking their fast during Ramzan and assaulted them. While the victims estimate that over 150 people participated in the assault, police place the number closer to 50.

‘Muslims cannot sit here’

Firoz Javed Sayyed, a member of the gathering, stated that he and 14 of his friends were sitting by the lakeside to break their fast when, suddenly, a large group arrived at the spot.

“One of our companions, Ameen, required 14 stitches to his head, while Shakib sustained deep wounds on his back. They beat us mercilessly, shouting, ‘Muslims cannot sit here’’,” he said. “Eight of my friends – Ameen Ashfaq Shaikh, Saqib Banedar, Afnan Altaf Shaikh, Fardeen Hussaini, Parvez Mulla, Ali Abbas, Zubair Bagwan, and........

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