Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar urge peace after Beed video suggests caste tensions

A video purportedly containing remarks against a particular community in the backdrop of tension between two caste groups in a village in Beed district has gone viral, prompting leaders of various political parties to appeal for peace.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (NCP) have appealed for maintaining peace and avoiding such commentary.

Beed Superintendent of Police, Nand Kumar Thakur, on Monday, rushed to Mundewadi village in Kej tehsil and held a meeting with villagers.

The video clip went viral on Sunday against the backdrop of tensions between members of the Maratha and Vanjari communities.

Some villagers in the video clip, which went viral on Sunday, can be heard saying that no 'Maharaj' (religious preacher) from the Maratha community should be invited to the village.

Villagers also asked others not to consume liquor from a shop, while a man threatened that those violating this diktat would be penalised.

"A meeting was conducted in Mundewadi village after the video clip went viral. After speaking with villagers, it was found that there was no casteism among them," the superintendent of police said.

Explaining the demography, he said members of a particular community dominate the population in the village, while others from another caste group are in minority.

"The sarpanch of this village is from the community which is in the minority," he said.

When asked about the contents of the video, the SP said villagers took a decision (on not purchasing liquor from a particular shop) in view of some problems in Nandur phata area.

"There is no casteism in this video. A person said something in excitement but villagers didn't support such a stand. The villagers are not following any such appeal. This video is 15-20 days old," Thakur added.

Notably, the caste fault lines became deeper during the campaigning for BJP's Pankaja Munde, a Vanjari, and NCP (SP) candidate Bajarang Sonawane, a Maratha, during recent Lok Sabha elections in Beed constituency.

Fadnavis said he didn't think such videos could damage social fabric.

"Both communities (Marathas and Vanjari) have lived together for a long time. Some people do attempt to create suspicion between them, but such attempts won't succeed. Sensible people from both communities should stop people from trying to divide society," he said.

Ajit Pawar said he didn't have detailed information about the situation but one should not forget that we live in a society that follows the framework of the Constitution.

"If someone tries to defy it, legal action will be taken against such people," he added.