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An ongoing agitation to protest the renaming of Maharashtra’s Aurangabad will be halted ahead of a rally here on Sunday, said AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel, claiming that attempts are being made to disturb communal harmony in the city. “People are coming from outside (out of Aurangabad) to address the rally organized by Sakal Hindu Samaj here. We have brought our agitation to a halt. Now it is the responsibility of the police to maintain peace,” Jaleel told reporters after meeting city police chief Nikhil Gupta on Friday.
Jaleel said a relay hunger strike, which started nearly two weeks ago, outside the collector’s office will be paused from Saturday. “We shall continue to make efforts to strengthen the legal battle against the renaming,” said the MP from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). The Union government last month approved the renaming of Aurangabad city as ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’ and that of Osmanabad city as ‘Dharashiv’. Aurangabad derives its name from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad was named for a 20th-century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad.
Jaleel said attempts are being made to disturb the peace. He said, “People who are facing cases for making provocative speeches are going to come and address the rally here on Sunday.” The lawmaker said their agitation has been peaceful. “Now, efforts are on to give the renaming issue a communal color,” he said. He said it is the responsibility of the police to ensure that no hateful speeches are given in Sunday’s rally.
