mumbai

Updated: Sep 18, 2016 01:10 IST

The police registered an FIR against 11 members of a housing society in Vasai west for disrupting communal harmony as they refused to issue an NOC to a Muslim man who wanted to buy a flat.

No arrest has been made so far, said Anil Patil, police inspector of Manickpur police station.

The police registered cases against 11 members — including Jeetendra Jain, secretary of the Happy Jeevan Society, Sai Nagar, Vasai (W), on Saturday night — under sections 298 (uttering words to hurt religious sentiments) and 295 A (deliberate acts intended to hurt religious feelings) of the IPC.

“We will send notices to the accused to appear for investigations,” said Patil.

On September 4, the accused had signed a resolution raising objections to the decision of Kantaben Patel, 55, to sell his flat Vikarahmed Khan, 32, a glass merchant from Vasai. Khan had even given Patel Rs1 lakh as token amount.

But due to the delay in the issuance of an NOC from Jain, the sale was not successful.

“We also have seized the September 4 resolution that was signed by the 11 members for our probe,” said Patil.

The secretary had openly written to Patel asking her to sell the flat to all but a Muslim “in the interest of the members of the society”, as the 16-storey building were opposed to have a a non-vegetarian family.

Though there are two Muslim families residing in the 36-year-old society. These Muslim families were not in town when the resolution was adopted, Patil said.

Patel and her son Jignesh, 32, had approached the sub-registrar of societies,Vasai, for justice as the 710 sqft first floor flat is lying unsold due to the non-issuance of the NOC from Jain. The deal was settled at Rs48 lakh for the flat.

Jain had even defended the denial of the NOC, saying they do not want another Muslim family in the society. The buyer had even taken loans from banks to purchase the flat. The society secretary is delaying the process of the sale, Jignesh told HT.

Jain also objected to the smell emanating from the two Muslim families,who cook non-vegetarian food almost everyday.