Shivaji descendant blamed for violence against Muslim ‘encroachers’ at fort, denies communal link

IN JULY 1660, the firing of a cannon thrice from the Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur district had come as a sigh of relief for the Maratha forces, who were battling the army of Bijapur’s sultanate, as it signalled that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had entered the fort safely.

Exactly 364 years later, on July 14, a descendant of Shivaji again made news at the fort. That day, on the call of Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje, a former Rajya Sabha MP, his supporters who call themselves “Shiv bhakts” gathered to remove encroachments allegedly harming the sanctity of the fort. Violence followed, resulting in the vandalisation of properties owned by Muslim residents and a local mosque.

The vandalism happened in a village called Gajapur, located 3 km from the fort, whose residents say they have no link to the encroachments at the fort.

After the violence, Sambhajiraje himself reached the spot and announced that he would not leave till the encroachments were removed. He claimed that there were 158 encroachments in total, of which only six were under litigation in court. “Why is no action being taken against the rest?” he asked.

Finally, it was after a phone call from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assuring Sambhajiraje of action that he left. Later that evening, Shinde himself visited Kolhapur to take stock of the situation.

While the Mahayuti government, which proclaims itself the true claimant to Shivaji’s legacy, was quick to act, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi was left with red faces as Sambhajiraje’s father Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj is the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kolhapur.

While condemning the violence and demanding action against the perpetrators, Shahu Maharaj blamed the administration and police for it, saying they had failed to take the