The police in Maharashtra’s Beed district have invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and a Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section for “terrorist act” against two men arrested for their alleged involvement in a bomb blast at a mosque in Ardhamsla village, reported the Hindustan Times.

The incident occurred in the early hours of March 30 at the Mecca Mosque in Ardhamsla, in Georai tehsil, a day before the Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. Gelatin sticks exploded inside the mosque, damaging its ceiling fans, doors, windows, books, flooring and walls. No casualties were reported.

The two accused, Vijay Rama Gavhane (22) and Shriram Ashok Sagade (22), both residents of the village, were arrested within hours of the blast. Police said the men were employed in well-digging work, which involves the use of explosives.

Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat said, “Considering the gravity of the crime, we have invoked all necessary sections of UAPA related to this case.”

The two were produced in a local court on Saturday. Police inspector Usman Sheikh submitted a plea to invoke sections 15 (terrorist act), 16 (punishment for terrorist act) and 18 (conspiracy) of the UAPA, along with Section 113 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to terrorist acts. The court granted police custody of the two men till April 9.

Initially, police had registered a case under BNS Sections 298 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult religion), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 196 (promoting enmity between groups). Police officials confirmed to the Hindustan Times the addition of sections under the UAPA.

Sheikh said: “This is probably the first time Beed Police has invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. We believe this act [bomb blast] was intended to provoke communal tensions. To ensure the strictest possible legal action, we have invoked all relevant provisions.”

The blast followed an altercation on Saturday evening during the urus [commemoration of the death anniversary] of Sayyad Badshah in the village. Police said members of all communities had joined the religious procession, but a dispute broke out between the two persons accused of the blast and others.

“A minor dispute escalated during the procession,” a police officer was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying. “The accused reportedly abused members of a particular community and threatened to demolish the mosque. The situation was defused by community members at the time.”

Later that night, the two men reportedly stayed at a nearby farm and entered the mosque around 2 am to carry out the blast. Locals spotted them fleeing, which helped the police identify and arrest them.”

According to the police, the accused persons had questioned recent renovation work at the mosque and issued threats a day before the blast. The Mecca Mosque stands adjacent to the Sayyad Badshah Dargah and villagers had recently carried out repairs in preparation for Ramzan.

Rashed Ali Hussain Sayyad (69), the complainant in the case and resident of Ardhamsla, said: “Around 2:30 am, we heard a loud explosion. When we reached the mosque, we saw extensive damage to the ceiling fans, doors, windows, books, flooring, and walls. Sayyad Usman told me he saw Gavhane and Sagade fleeing just moments before.”

Sayyad added that Gavhane lives next to the mosque and had previously been booked for illegal possession of weapons. The mosque’s caretaker, Sayyad Shammu, confirmed the threats issued by the two men.

The arrests prompted All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader and former Member of Parliament Imtiaz Jaleel to demand the invocation of UAPA, stating: “When a Muslim is accused in a minor case, harsh measures like house demolitions are taken. Why not the same here?”

The incident also led to a bandh in Gevrai on Tuesday, with locals demanding that charges under the National Security Act and UAPA be applied to the case.

Police said they have traced the procurement of the gelatin sticks used in the explosion and are pursuing leads that could result in further arrests.