At least 12 people were arrested after violence broke out during Ram Navami ‘Shobhayatra’ in Rishra in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Sunday while Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed strict actions against those involved in the stir at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns as sporadic incidents of communal clashes were reported in some states.
In Jharkhand, three police officials were injured after they were attacked for stopping loud ‘DJ music’ during a Ram Navami procession in Hazaribag district.
Here’s all that happened today regarding Ram Navami clashes
West Bengal Ram Navami Shobhayatra Violence
Internet services were suspended and prohibitory orders were put in place following clashes between two groups during the Ram Navami ‘Shobhayatra’ procession in Rishra in West Bengal’s Hooghly district. At least 12 people were arrested after Chandanagar Commissioner Amit P Javalgi and DIG Burdwan Shyam Singh held marches in the affected area following the clashes, according to reports.
BJP vice-president Dilip Ghosh, who participated in the procession, has claimed stones were pelted as the rally moved to the Jagannath temple in Mahesh GT Road in Rishra police station area. BJP’s Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh was reported to have been injured in stone pelting and rushed to the Re-life Hospital. According to reports, five injured individuals were transported to a nearby hospital.
The police took swift action and increased security deployment in the area. Shortly after the incident, police said the situation is currently under control. Later, Section 144 was imposed and internet services were suspended in Rishra.
BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the incident and said senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh was pelted with stones. “His vehicle was torched and incidents of arson and fire happened as police stood still as mere spectators which strengthens our allegations that there is definite support from the ruling party TMC and a section of administration led by Mamata Banerjee who has already issued several statements in favour of the miscreants belonging to the minority community,” it read.
However, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged violence in Rishra were “pre-planned by BJP”. “These people are trying to create unrest in the name of Ram Navami. We’re taking the stock of situation. BJP is watching who can create more ruckus Dilip Ghosh or Sukanta Majumdar,” he said.
The Rishra incident came after violence during Ram Navami celebrations rocked parts of the neighbouring Howrah district on Thursday and Friday.
Bihar Clashes
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level meeting over communal tensions during Ram Navami festivities at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns and announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of a person who died in the clashes on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said, the chief minister directed officials to take strict action against the elements who disturbed the peace and communal harmony in the state. “The CM instructed security forces to keep an eye on everything and take action against miscreants,” it read.
The state police have so far arrested 109 people as part of its investigation into the clashes between two groups during the processions of Ram Navami on March 30, which continued till April 1.
Director General of Police RS Bhatti said “now the normalcy has been restored in both towns and the situation is completely under control”. “Four additional companies of para-military forces have been deployed in both districts and senior officials of the district police are also scrutinising video footages to identify the miscreants,” he said.
A bomb blast in Sasaram’s Rohtas on Saturday left six people injured and two persons were arrested in the case. Police on Sunday confirmed the bomb blast was a separate incident related to illegal explosive handling and not linked to the Ram Navami violence.
However, the unrest led Union Home Minister Amit Shah to cancel his scheduled trip to Sasaram following the clashes there on March 30. Shah blamed the Nitish Kumar government over the cancellation of his visit and communal clashes and said vowed to hang rioters upside down if voted to power in state in 2025. “Let Prime Minister Narendra Modi return to power in 2024 and help BJP form its own government in the assembly polls which would follow. All the rioters will be hung upside down (‘ulta latka denge’),” he said at a rally in Bihar’s Hisua.
Jharkhand Loud Speaker Ram Navami Clash
Three policemen were injured after being allegedly attacked for stopping loud music during a Ram Navami procession in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district. When the procession reached Veer Kunwar Singh Chowk playing ‘DJ music’, three police officials received injuries after they were attacked for switching off the loud music.
“When they refused it, a magistrate seized the sound system and the vehicle. Those in the procession attacked the police, in which three policemen were severely injured. Among those injured were sub-inspector Sanjiv Kumar Pandey and constable Vikas Kumar Singh. They were admitted to hospital,” Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said.
A case has been registered against the president of the akhara, which organised the procession, and 200 ‘unnamed’ persons at the Korra police station in connection with the incident.
Another case was registered against an akhara at the Lohsinghna police station for allegedly hurling stones targetting a place of worship during their procession on Saturday.
Right-wing Activist Booked for Hate Speech in Gujarat
Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against a right-wing woman activist, Kajal Hindustani at a ‘Hindu Sammelan’, over making alleged hate speech during an event organised on the occasion of Ram Navami on Thursday. The police on Sunday registered a case against Hindustani and 50 people on the charge of rioting following a communal clash at Una town.
According to the police, a communal clash erupted in a sensitive area of Una town on Saturday night with two groups hurling stones at each other due to the speech of Hindustani on Thursday, in which she allegedly targeted a minority community.
Police personnel have been deployed in sensitive areas with some of them patrolling. “Two State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) teams have been deployed in Una so far in this case,” Superintendent of Police Sripal Sheshma said.
In another similar case in Vadodara city on Saturday night, police arrested a right-wing activist Rohan Shah and some others for “hate speech” during a Ram Navami procession on Thursday.
The case against them was registered under sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Shah is a local leader of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh Named in Hate Speech FIR
Suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh was charged in a fresh case and others over alleged intent to provoke breach of peace, in connection with a speech that he delivered during a procession held as part of Ram Navami festival on March 30.
FIR was registered against Raja Singh and others at Shahinayathgunj Police Station under IPC sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505 (2) on Saturday, based on a complaint filed by a Sub-Inspector of Police who accused them of creating enmity and hatred among different religions.
The complainant alleged that when the procession led by Raja Singh reached Chudi Bazar on March 30, the MLA delivered a speech saying that Hindu Rashtra should be established in this country. After hearing his speech, some of his followers waved photos of Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse in the procession and also raised slogans with the intention to create enmity among public on the grounds of religion
(With inputs from PTI)
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