How a Nitesh Rane-backed 'Ban' on Muslim Businesses Has a Village on the Edge

A sarpanch's ban on Muslims during a festival in a Maharashtra village was overturned. Then, Nitesh Rane stepped in.

A Sarpanch's 'Ban' on Muslim Traders, Nitesh Rane Have a Village on the Edge

(Photo: The Quint)

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A sarpanch of a village in Maharashtra got a resolution 'passed' in the gram sabha on 22 February to ban Muslims from doing any business in an upcoming religious festival.

After complaints, the district's Block Development Officer (BDO) declared the resolution to be invalid.

Then, a BJP cabinet minister and an NCP MLA came out in support of the ban for the sake of 'Hindu Rashtra'

The developments in a village in Maharshtra's Ahilyanagar (Ahmadnagar) are a textbook case of how a largely peaceful co-existence between religious groups can be turned upside down in a matter of one week.

The village in question is Madhi, and the cabinet minister is, unsurprisingly, Nitesh Rane of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

On 1 March, Rane, a repeat offender of hate speeches, went about his usual tirade against Muslims in a 'Hindu Dharam Sabha' held in Madhi.

"The Hindus of Maharashtra have elected a Hindutvavaadi government. We have become MLAs and ministers because of the Hindus. The Hindus have the first right on the administration, on the government, and on the chairs of Mantralaya," he said.

But the primary agenda of the gathering was to show support for Sanjay Markad, the sarpanch of the village and a member of the BJP, who on 22 February held a gram sabha in which a resolution was allegedly passed to not let Muslims do business in the upcoming Madhi chi Yatra or Kanifnath Yatra.

Despite backlash, Markad, in a conversation with The Quint said: "The authorites can do what they want, we will do what we want to do."

So, how did a gram sabha resolution turn into a political potboiler in Maharashtra? How and why does a sarpanch have the open support of a cabinet minister and an NCP MLA?

'Muslims Commit Crimes': It all Began With a Resolution...

On 22 February, the village panchayat led by Markad, who is also the head of the Kanifnath temple trust, called for a gram sabha with the agenda of discussing the Centre's flagship housing scheme — the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. However, in the same sabha, a resolution was later claimed to be passed regarding the Kanifnath Yatra.

The 700-year-old festival that begins every year on Holi and ends on Gudhi Padwa, the Maharashtrian new year, takes place in the Kanifnath temple in the village.

The resolution accessed by The Quint states: "In the period for which the yatra is held, some communities, specifically Muslims, defy the age-old traditions by selling narcotics, resorting to animal slaughter, and other illegal activities. As a result, the sentiments of villagers and devotees have been hurt. For the period of the yatra, the people of this community and all those who do not follow the age-old traditions have been banned for conducting business."

The reolutionclaimed to be passed in the gram sabha.

The reolutionclaimed to be passed in the gram sabha.

The resolution was undersigned by Markad and another gram panchayat member Anil Lavande.

The Quint also reached out to Disrict Collector Siddharam Salimath to verify the claims. "I have been transferred as Sugar Commissioner of Maharashtra and resumed new position. Gram Sabha resolution has been declared void by BDO," Salimath said.

The story will be updated if there is more clarity on any of these claims.

However, after the resolution was passed, members of the Muslim community and local social workers approached Pathardi taluka's Block Development Officer (BDO) Shivaji Kamble.

Acting on a letter written by a social group led by one Shamali Jafar Pathan, BDO Kamble then launched an investigation that eventually led to the invalidation of the resolution.

In the order issued by the BDO's office on 27 February, the resolution was invalidated due to several norms being flouted under the The Bombay Village Panchayat (Meetings) Rules, 1959.

Along with several other thechnical resons behind striking down the resolution, two must be taken note of:

• A resolution to be passed in a gram sabha requires signatures of 100 members of the same gram sabha. Though there were 116 signatures, only 98 perople were found to be valid attendees of this gram sabha.

• The signatures were taken on an unofficial letter head instead of the official gram sabha record book as is prescribed by the rules, and were taken in a sabha claimed to be organised for the Prdhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Several attendees of the sabha who requested anonymity confirmed that while a two-hour session was indeed held on the Centre's housing scheme, they were not aware of any other resolution and that the signatures were taken only as routine attendance for a sabha on the housing scheme.

Sarpanch Markad, however, is unfazed.

'We Will Do What We Want...': Sarpanch Remains Unfazed

Speaking to The Quint, Markad repeated the claims made against Muslims in the resolution and adamant on his 'motives' behind passing it.

"They sell alcohol, steal mobile phones, and pick pockets. They don't follow any of our traditions or eat our prasad. So, who gave them the right to do business here?" Markad said.

"They sell things which are 4-6 months old and don't bathe for weeks. How can they be allowed to sell any prasad here? How can that be aceptable in a yatra for Hindus? There were multiple complaints like these. Hence, we passed this resolution," Markad told The Quint.

Sarpanch Sanjay Markad (centre) with his supporters.

(Photo: The Quint)

Markad further claimed that "it is only the Muslims who commit such crimes and illegal activities."

Asked if there is a reported rise in complaints during this period in the village, Markad could not substantiate his claims with any evidence.

"Scores of complaints go to the police during this period," he said.

The Quint tried to reach out to an officer of the Madhi police station in an attempt to verify the claims made in the resolution, but he refused to comment.

On claims of taking signatures without the villagers having full knowledge of the gram sabha's agenda, he said: "We had 116 people out of which the BDO only considered 98. The signatures of the devotees (not from the village) should not have been rejected. After all, it is a matter of their faith too. Their pockets have been picked (by Muslims) too. Hence, they were present there. It is not just the people of Madhi who are suffering from this."

Markad further said that the panchayat has not yet decided upon whether another resolution will be passed with valid signatures.

'We Will See Which Officer is Crossing Hindus...': Enter Nitesh Rane

Days after the resolution was struck down by the BDO on 27 January, local Hindutva outfits, including Shri Ram Sena, organised a 'Hindu Dharam Sabha' in Madhi in support of sarpanch Markad and the resolution. The key speakers at the event included Rane and Ahilyanagar MLA Sangram Jagtap of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

"This temple has been built by descendants of Shivaji Maharaj. Now, a BDO called Shivaji comes and invalidates this resolution. He must first change his name. The name Shivaji does not suit him. I urge Rane saheb to transfer him not just within Maharashtra but out of the state because wherever he goes, he will trouble Hindus," Markad urged Rane while addressing the gathering.

"Even if the BDO has rejected the decision, we will not let Muslims do business here," he asserted.

Surprisingly, Jagtap, a leader of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, also addressed the gathering and spoke on similar lines.

"If we are not united, a time will come when this yatra will stop and Urs will begin," Jagtap said, adding that Muslims would not like it if their traditions were interfered with.

Rane then took the dias amid the loudest cheer from the gathering. He congratulated Markad on the resolution and said that other villages should "take inspiration from it."

Nitesh Rane at the Kanifnath temple on 1 March.

(Photo: Twitter/Nitesh Rane)

"You may think that this is a step limited to your village, but it is the one that will strengthen the Hindu Rashtra. The way you took a stand and made this decision, and showed the jihadis their place, I congratulate you on it," Rane said.

Further claiming that Muslims come to the yatra to "sell mutton" and attend "without bathing for days," he said: "Aata tumchi pan Eid yeil na! (We know that Eid is coming)! Should we also enter your homes without bathing for days?"

"If you come to do business here and threaten our religion, the decision taken by Markad today will be taken by the whole of Maharashtra in future and you will not be able to do anything about it," Rane said.

Further, Rane issued veiled threats to BDO Kamble.

"It is our government, it is the government of Deva Bhau (as CM Devendra Fadnavis is referred to by his supporters). We will also see which officer crosses Hindus. Whatever is the procedure, it must be followed," Rane said.

"I will tell the Sarpanch this - the resolution has been rejected once but what do we learn from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj? Use intelligence where required, and strength where required. I am telling the sarpanch that don't use strength where intelligence is required. You will get your resolution, I promise that," he said.

"Nobody has the courage to stop us. We are sitting for that. Phone calls will be made," Rane added.

He further urged villagers to "follow the required rules and take an oath to sign another resolution so that 99% villagers sign it."

"After another resolution is passed, the sarpanch will send all required documents to me. I shall see how the BDO doesn't accept the resolution then," Rane said.

The rest of Rane's address was laced with usual claims of 'Muslims using any money given to them for jihad' and 'conspiracy to turn India into an Islamic nation'.

Speaking to The Quint, BDO Kamble said that if another resolution comes, it can be acted upon only if a complaint is raised with him against it.

"There are lots of such resolutions that get passed in a gram sabha. If nobody asks for them to be probed, we don't probe. There were complaints against this particular resolution and letter were written to me. If there comes another resolution like this and nobody complains, how will I act?" Kamble said, maintaining that the resolution was overturned on legal and technical basis.

Asked about the sarpanch and Rane's comments on him iat the held on 1 March, Kamble refused to comment. "I have not heard what they said about me," Kamble said.

A Disputed Religious Site, A Village on the Edge

The temple is visited as the samadhi of Hindu saint Kanifnath. According to legend cited by Hindu locals, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Sambhaji Raje pledged to build the temple to pray for the release of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj while he was captured by Mughals. After his release, his ministers were tasked with building it.

The Muslims, however, claim it to be the dargah of saint Shah Ramzan Mahi Savar Chisti.

Moreover, there is currently a dispute underway between the temple's trust and the Waqf Board over 40 acres of land around the temple.

Given the tensions in the village, most people who attended the sabha that The Quint spoke to wished to remain anonymous.

"We were not there when this resolution was spoken about. The two hour-discussion was on the gharkul yojana. They were showing photos of houses, and explaing benefits and procedures. This (passing of resolution) might have happened after we left," said a local Hindu resident who has been living in Madhi for 35 years.

"There have never been any untoward incidents between the two communities here. We keep to ourselves and so do they. One cannot claim that only one community commits crimes," he added.

Kanifnath temple in Madhi village.

(Photo: Facebook/Kanifnath Temple Trust)

On 28 February, a writ petition was filed in the Bombay High Court by two Muslim residents of the village - Firoz Subhan Shaikh and Mukaddar Vajirbhai Pathan, urging the court to order the filing a criminal case against sarpanch Markad and another member of the gram panchayat. The petition was filed on the grounds of creating a rift between communities and violation of fundamental rights.

"There is fear among villagers to speak openly," Firoz told The Quint.

"Eventually, both commnities have their businesses here and they have to co-exist. On the day Rane was to come, we were advised to stay indoors so as to avoid any untoward incidents," he said.

Shamali Jafar Pathan, the social worker who wrote to BDO Kamble flagging the resolution, said that the village has always been peaceful but attempts are now being made to "spoil the atmosphere."

"The legal matter was supposed to be over after the BDO struck down the resolution. But the sarpanch, under the guise of Hindutvava, is bringing leaders like Nitesh Rane and holding sabhas. MLA Sangram Jagtap was here too. We have filed a petition in the High Court to bring a stay to all of this," Pathan said.

A group of Muslim locals have also submitted a letter to the District Collector to provide police protection to the Muslim community while the festival is underway.