Mob Attacks on Muslim Properties in Kolhapur were Planned: Fact-finding Report

A fact-finding report has revealed that the attacks on a 300-year-old mosque and dozens of Muslim-owned houses and properties in Kolhapur district were premeditated. The attackers were brought from outside to carry out the violence.

On July 14, a Hindutva mob attacked the 300-year-old mosque, dozens of houses, and properties of Muslims in Gajapur village. The report found that 42 structures, including 41 houses, 10 shops, and the mosque, were targeted.

The fact-finding team included leaders from the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), the Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), and other groups. They demanded a High Court-monitored probe into the incident. The delegation met with victims, including Siraj Qasim Parbholkar, chairman of the 300-year-old Masjid Raza Jama Masjid Trust, and other villagers.

According to the report, the attackers were outsiders brought in after meetings organized by Ravinder Padwal at Narayan Pandurang Velhar’s home. The attackers were armed with swords, hammers, pickaxes, rods, and iron pipes.

The violence lasted from noon to 5 pm, causing significant damage and looting. A copy of the Holy Quran was burnt, and the walls of a cemetery were damaged. The attack appears to have been politically and communally motivated, targeting Muslims without any connection to encroachments.

The fact-finding team demanded separate FIRs for each person’s losses, an investigation under High Court supervision, severe punishment for the culprits, and the imposition of terror charges against them. The attack has highlighted the need for accountability and justice for the victims of such targeted violence.