Boards banning entry of non-local Muslims in some villages of Pune district removed: Police
Pune (PTI): Police removed objectionable boards allegedly prohibiting the entry of non-local Muslims in certain villages of Mulshi taluka in Pune district, after the issue was flagged by rights groups, a senior officer said on Sunday.
The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) have alleged that Muslim shopkeepers, vendors, and labourers in Paud, Pirangut, Kolvan, Suatwadi and nearby areas had received threats, forced business closures, and boycott calls after a teenage boy allegedly desecrated the idol at a temple in May.
The organisations have submitted a joint representation to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary and other district authorities including police.
They alleged that the boards banning the entry of Muslims not residing in the areas were put up in public places, including near religious sites, without legal authority.
They claimed several Muslim-owned bakeries and scrap shops were shut under pressure from fringe groups, with no intervention from the police.
PUCL member Milind Champanerkar stated that the PUCL has sent representations to various authorities including the chief secretary, Pune district collector, rural police superintendent, Baramati MP Supriya Sule, and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
When contacted, Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill told PTI, "We have removed the objectionable boards after holding separate meetings with PUCL and gram panchayats of three villagers. We are looking into the matter".
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
