MUMBAI: BJP Mumbai unit president Mangalprabhat Lodha alleged Dalit Hindus are living in fear in Malwani, and are being coerced to leave the predominantly Muslim area.
The area in Malad (W) is part of cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh’s assembly constituency. On Monday, Lodha and Kankavli (Sindhdurg district) MLA Nitesh Rane met senior inspector of Malwani police station to complain about the Malwani pattern and police going soft on accused. “Immigrant Muslims are creating fear in the area and are coercing Dalit Hindus to flee. The Dalit Hindus have demanded action by police, but the action is not satisfactory,” said Lodha.
Rane asked why despite a Bombay high court order, loudspeakers atop mosques had not been dismantled.
Shaikh said the Centre had failed to provide aid during Covid, including vaccines, due to which vaccination centres had to remain closed many times. “BJP has nothing to showcase and with BMC elections around the corner, they are making up issues of Hindu-Muslim tension,” said Shaikh.
DCP Vishal Thakur (zone 11) told TOI that some BJP leaders met Malwani police senior inspector on Sunday. “There is no tension. We did not lodge an FIR,” said Thakur.
