An explosion occurred inside a mosque in Maharashtra's Beed district early on Sunday, leading to protests. While the blast caused damage to the mosque's flooring and structure, no injuries were reported, according to the police. Authorities have arrested two individuals in connection with the incident. The explosion took place around 2:30 am, and the identities of the suspects were revealed after one of them posted a video of the event on Instagram. The police stated that on Saturday evening, a procession involving people from different communities took place in Ardhamasla, Beed. At around 9:30 pm, two individuals appeared at the site, making caste-based remarks, questioning the mosque's construction, and attempting to stir communal discord. However, the situation was de-escalated at that time.
In the early hours of Sunday, the authorities learned that the suspects had planted gelatin sticks inside the mosque. "We were alerted by the sarpanch, who reported the explosion. We responded promptly, controlled the situation, recorded the complainant's statement, and filed a case. The two suspects were arrested shortly after," said Navneet Kavat, Superintendent of Police for Beed.
Following the blast, Muslims gathered outside the police station to protest. The police confirmed that severe charges had been brought against the accused and that bomb detection and forensic teams had collected evidence from the scene. Kavat appealed to the community to remain calm and maintain peace.
Meanwhile, as the holy month of Ramadan enters its final week, Muslims worldwide eagerly await Eid-ul-Fitr, the joyous celebration that marks the end of a month of fasting from dawn to dusk. Eid-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal, which is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar (Hijri). The sighting of the crescent moon determines the exact date of Eid-ul-Fitr. So the festival is generally celebrated across the world on different days as per the moon sighting. This year, Eid is most likely to be celebrated on March 30 (Sunday) or March 31 (Monday), depending on the sighting of the moon in different parts of the world.