Mosque Attacked, Homes Torched at Kolhapur's Vishalgad Fort Over Encroachment
Communal tensions heated up in Kolhapur after a mob allegedly attacked homes of local residents, vandalised a mosque, and thrashed villagers on the foothills of the historic Vishalgad fort while demanding removal of illegal encroachments on Sunday, 14 July.
The clashes erupted after former Rajya Sabha MP Sambhaji Raje called upon his supporters to march to the fort in a bid to protest against the inaction of the authorities over illegal encroachments. The fort is located in Shahuwadi of Kolhapur district, about 75 kms from Kolhapur city.
The clashes erupted ahead of Sambhaji Raje's arrival at the fort on Sunday morning.
While 21 people have been arrested by the Kolhapur police so far, four FIRs have been registered against 500 people.
Calling it 'Vishalgad Anti-Encroachment Movement ,' Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati and his supporters in Kolhapur have been mounting pressure on authorities to remove illegal encroachments at the Vishalgad fort for the past year.
Sambhaji Raje, who has been a vocal critic of the alleged encroachment, gave a call last week to protest at the fort, following which his supporters and members of Hindutva outfits gathered overnight at the entrance of the fort since Saturday night despite no official permission for the gathering.
On Sunday morning, the clashes flared after some miscreants allegedly pelted stones at the Rehman Malik Dargah on the fort, during which some residents and cops were injured. Some vandals also allegedly chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' outside the mosque and raised objectionable slogans.
Some of the residents then reportedly retaliated, following which the situation went out of control. The police then cordoned off the fort and barred entry, following which the mob allegedly attacked shops and homes in the Gajapur village by the foothills of the fort.
Several homes in Gajapur were allegedly set on fire while several other homes and shops were vandalised and looted, sources said. Several vehicles were also torched in the clashes and thrown of the cliff from the fort. Visuals from the site show miscreants atop the mosque trying to damage the dome structures while chanting slogans.
Along with residents, several cops were also injured in the clashes, the police said.
Sambhaji Raje called off his protest after an assurance by CM Eknath Shinde that action will be taken against illegal encroachments in the fort.
Several local journalists reporting on the incident alleged that they were threatened by people who were a part of the mob with knives and sticks to stop them from reporting omn the incident.
Many claimed that their equipment, mobile phones, and boom mic were snatched by miscreants while brandishing swords and knives. Some also claimed that their vehicles were chased in order to scare them into not coming to the area.
Kolhapur Press Club president Sheetal Dhanwade, addressing journalists on Monday, said that a undertaking will be given to the police and the authorities in this regard.
On Monday, Sambhaji Raje blamed the local authorities and the police for not taking enough measures despite anticipating that the situation may get out of hand.
He also showed up at the local police station to urge officials to book him instead of 'Shivaji bhakts'.
"Several Shiv Bhakts have been booked. Rather than harassing them, the police should book me.I kept asking them if I have been booked but they refused to answer," he said, after a two-hoir long meeting with police officials.
He further said that there is no communal agenda behind his movement but some people with vested interests are trying to portray it so.
"One of the first encroachments to be destroyed belongs to a Prakash Patil. Some of the first action was faced by Hindu families. Some people are trying to do Hindu-Muslim over this, they must not," he said.
"I do not support what happened in Gajapur. The incident must be probed and the police must take appropriate action. If somebody is firing shots with the gun on my shoulder, I will look into it. But my intention was only to protest against encroachment," he said.
Meanwhile, politics peaked on the issue with opposition parties demanding immediate action against Sambhaji Raje.
Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCPSP) chief Sharad Pawar, Kolhapur MP Shahu Maharaj, NCPSP district president VB Patil, and district Congress president and MLA Satej Patil held a meeting over the unrest.
"Somebody like Sambhaji Raje should have been careful while blaming the authorities for the unrest," Patil said.
Kolhapur Guardian Minister Hasan Mushrif, meanwhile, said: "Such an incident is a blot in the kingdom of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. The issue of encroachments on Vishalgad is sub-judice. So, it is for Sambhaji Raje to answer whether his stance on the issue is appropriate."
Several Muslim bodies led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind sumbmitted a letter to the Kolhapur authorities to take strict action against those accused and demanded that Sambhaji Raje must be arrested.
Following the clashes, about 35 illegal shops were razed by authorities on Monday on the orders of CM Shinde who arrived in Kolhapur on Sunday night.
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CM Siddaramaiah warns of possible rainfall dip, stresses uninterrupted drinking water supply
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said there is a possibility of a five per cent decrease in rainfall this year and asked officials to ensure that drinking water supply is not affected.
The CM gave these instructions at a meeting of additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, and secretaries of all departments held at Vidhana Soudha.
“There is a possibility of a five per cent decrease in rainfall this year. District in-charge secretaries should constantly monitor the drinking water situation in their districts. Meetings should be held with deputy commissioners and zilla panchayat chief executive officers in this regard,” Siddaramaiah said.
“It is the responsibility of the respective secretaries to resolve the problems of the districts under their jurisdiction. Drinking water supply should not be affected for any reason,” his office quoted him as saying in a statement.
Pointing out that B R Ambedkar had warned against officials appeasing politicians, as it could lead to dictatorship, the CM asked officials to work within the framework of the law.
“Give suggestions to ministers within the scope of the law. Bringing a good name to the government depends on the work of the secretaries,” he said, adding that the administration should be made more agile.
Siddaramaiah said the role of departmental secretaries is crucial for the proper functioning of the state administration, as recognised in the Constitution. “It is the duty of all secretaries to act in accordance with the Constitution. They should not do anything against it,” he said.
Referring to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Home Minister, Siddaramaiah said Patel had emphasised in the constituent assembly that secretaries should fearlessly and independently convey their views to ministers and not hesitate to speak the truth, even if it displeases them.
He urged senior officials to express their opinions fearlessly, independently, and truthfully.
The CM said implementing budget announcements is the responsibility of officials, noting that 15 announcements from last year’s budget are yet to be implemented. “Who is responsible for this?” he asked.
The government made a total of 565 announcements in this year’s budget, including 218 new ones, he said, adding, “It is the responsibility of officials to implement all budget announcements within the same year. They should not remain unimplemented for any reason. Bring any practical difficulties in implementation directly to my notice or that of the chief secretary.”
Out of the announcements in the 2026-27 budget, government orders have been issued for only five, he said.
“All government orders should be implemented, and execution should begin by May; otherwise, the respective secretaries will be held responsible.”
Siddaramaiah said delays in addressing public grievances could erode people’s trust in the government.
“This should not be allowed. Similarly, applications received under Sakala (a government initiative to guarantee services to citizens within a stipulated time) should be disposed of on time.”
Stating that immediate steps should be taken to fill vacant sanctioned posts, he said the finance department has approved the filling of 24,300 posts.
“There are 32,132 posts pending in cadres related to Kalyana Karnataka, and the recruitment process has not yet begun. The revision of cadre and recruitment rules is pending in some departments and should be completed at the earliest,” he said.
Under various centrally sponsored programmes, the state government released its share of Rs 22,768 crore in 2025–26, while the Centre released Rs 16,729 crore. Siddaramaiah said Rs 11,367 crore is still pending from the Centre.
He also directed officials to ensure that grants are utilised within the stipulated period.
Highlighting that contracts worth up to Rs 2 crore have been reserved for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe contractors, the chief minister said such reservations should not be bypassed by bundling works into larger packages.
“All works should be completed within the stipulated time. Construction costs should not escalate due to delays,” he added.
The chief minister also launched the new “Karnataka Progress Portal” and a handbook related to monitoring schemes, approvals, and inter-departmental coordination.
