Encroachment near Afzal Khan's tomb removed

Kolhapur: A major police arrangement was put in place to remove unauthorized construction near Afzal Khan's tomb at the bottom of historic Pratapgarh fort in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra.

It was an overnight operation and Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in the area.
The Satara district administration demolished unauthorised structures built on the government land around the tomb of the commander of Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, an official said.
Afzal Khan was killed by Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj near the fort in Satara district and a tomb had been built there in his memory.

The demolition exercise started in the early hours of Thursday amid heavy police bandobast, officials said.Thousands of 'Shiv Bhakta' also gathered in the tehsil to mark the day but police refused them permission.Around 1,500 police personals from nearby districts had to be deployed in the tomb area as the removal began.The unauthorized constructions over the last few years had caused strife.(UNI)