A corporator of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was assaulted on Aurangabad Municipal Corporation premises for reportedly opposing a resolution to pay homage to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
In a video of the incident, corporator Sayyed Mateen Rashid is purportedly seen being assaulted by a few corporators, allegedly from the BJP, on the floor of the general body. Rashid was later rescued and escorted out of the hall by policemen.
A few supporters of Rashid allegedly damaged a vehicle of a BJP leader soon after the incident, leading to tension outside the Corporation office. Police teams were deployed in the area to avoid escalation of violence.
“As per our primary information, a resolution to pay homage to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was tabled during a session of the General Body of the corporation. Rashid opposed it and also reportedly made a statement about Vajpayee, following which some corporators of the BJP beat him up. Some police constables, present in the hall, managed to take Rashid out,” a police officer said.
“After the incident, some AIMIM supporters resorted to violence and vandalised the car of a BJP leader and also beat up the driver of the car,” he said.
Another police officer told The Indian Express that the local police station was in the process of registering an FIR against Rashid under IPC section 153A (for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) for the statement he made while opposing the resolution. “We are yet to receive a complaint against the corporators who assaulted Rashid. After we get a complaint, action will be taken,” the officer said.
AIMIM’s Aurangabad MLA Imtiaz Jaleel told The Indian Express over the phone that Rashid had made the comments in a personal capacity.