Here is another take by Jyoti Punwani, whose The Hindu article was posted by Fredrick Noronha.
Best regards, U. G. Barad Rally aim was to attack Cong, hurts city instead Author: Jyoti Punwani Publication: Mumbai Mirror Date: August 12, 2012 Introduction: Organizers close to NCP leaders RR Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal concede rally had marked anti-Congress slant A well-publicized meet to discuss the Muslim community's concern over attacks on their brethren in Myanmar and Assam, got out of hand when a handful of seemingly well-equipped young men set fire to media vans and began stone-pelting. The events left two men dead, a policeman battling for his life, the administration caught off-guard, and a city holding its breath. Sources say the trouble could have emanated from a fiery and emotional speech made by Maulana Abdul Qadir Alvi, a well-known maulvi from Badaunsharif in Uttar Pradesh about how the government and the media had turned a blind eye to the killings of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar. In fact the Maulana's rhetoric made the others on stage, including additional commissioner (south) Krushna Prakash so uncomfortable that he was cut short by another speaker Ibrahim Gani. But by then the damage had been done. Officially, the organisers of Azad Maidan rally, attended by nearly twenty thousand people, were Kurla businessman Rizwan Khan, and Maulana Ahmed Raza, head of a madarsa in Kurla, but the brains behind it are widely thought to be Raza Academy's Saeed Noorie and Maulana Sayed Moen Khan. Both men are close to Nationalist Congress Party leaders RR Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal. Maulana Moen Khan denied he had a part to play in the rally other than as one of the speakers. Both he and Maulana Ahmad Raza were invited to recite the duas, he said. However most who attended had been told before-hand that the rally was going to be an anti-Congress meet. Maulana Moen Khan defended the political overtones, saying: The Congress is in power in Assam, so naturally people are angry with the Congress. Narendra Modi is cursed for what happened in Gujarat, the same way the Congress is held responsible for the violence in Assam. But so many Muslims wouldn't have gathered only for an anti-Congress rally. The numbers surprised many, including Rizwan Khan, whose mobile was used to send the mass invite. I don't even know how to send a text message, said the Kurla businessman ruefully. Some maulanas came to my office at Kurla saying some protest should be made about Assam and Myanmar and I agreed. After that it was a joint affair (with Raza Academy). We were all involved. Chief minister Prithviraj Chauhan who had to cancel his iftar party to be held on Saturday, has asked for a Crime Branch inquiry into how the riot broke out despite heavy police presence.
