A youth residing in Nashik's Jai Bhawani Road area sparked tension in the city by posting an offensive comment on Instagram regarding Fatema Zohra, the daughter of their community's supreme leader, Prophet Mohammad. On Wednesday night, chaos ensued along the Upnagar to Dwarka road stretch as a mob caused disturbances and initiated a road blockade. Police responded to the situation, arresting the individual responsible for circulating the offensive message on Thursday. However, approximately 400 to 500 individuals, gathered near the Upanagar police station demanding the arrest of the person responsible for posting the viral message. Their demand for the culprit's arrest led to the obstruction of traffic flow along the Nashik-Pune highway, impeding vehicles from Upnagar, Nehru Nagar, and Dwarka.
Amidst the chaos, authorities registered complaints against the mob for unlawfully halting vehicles, engaging in an unauthorized assembly, and hurling stones at passing vehicles to control the situation. Moreover, certain members of the mob caused damage to a City Link bus. The bus was heading to Nashik Road from Bardan Phata, when a group of 7-8 people damaged the glasses of the bus.
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The Nashik police swiftly identified and apprehended the instigator, leading to prompt action. Deputy Commissioner Monica Raut emphasized the activation of a social media cell within the department to prevent such incidents in the future. Raut further highlighted the vigilance of the cyber cell in monitoring and curbing the dissemination of inflammatory content on social media platforms. “We urge citizens not to heed to viral posts and to promptly report any such content to the authorities to prevent the escalation of tensions.” She added.
The unrest also resulted in damage to private vehicles, inconveniencing commuters and residents of the area. However, the situation is under control after the arrest of the culprit.