Ram Navami 2023: The procession of Rama Navami was taken out peacefully across India at the moment (March 30). But, violence broke out between two teams when a procession was taken out in West Bengal’s Howrah metropolis, the place a number of autos had been torched and outlets had been ransacked. Police mentioned quite a few folks had been detained in this connection.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who’s on a dharna, mentioned strict motion might be taken towards the culprits. A police officer mentioned the incident occurred when the procession was passing by way of the Kazipara locality. Several outlets and auto-rickshaws had been ransacked in the course of the violence whereas quite a few vehicles together with a couple of police autos had been set on hearth.
Four hearth tenders had been pressed into service to extinguish the blaze. The police used power to disperse the mob. A big contingent of police was deployed in the locality the place the scenario is acknowledged to be below management. The chief minister slammed the BJP for allegedly attempting to stoke communal pressure in the course of the Ram Navami procession in Howrah and mentioned these concerned in the incident won’t be spared.
“I have repeatedly said that I will not block any Ram Navami procession. I had given clear instructions to the police in this regard. While one community is celebrating Annapurna Puja, the other is observing fast during Ramzan,” she mentioned whereas concluding her 30-hour prolonged sit-in in an illustration in town.
“Those who were involved in today’s violence will not be spared. I do not support riot mongers and consider them the enemy of the country. The BJP has always targeted Howrah. The other targets for them are Park Circus and Islampur. Everybody must be alert in their localities,” she mentioned.
BJP response on Howrah violence:
Senior BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari, nevertheless, dubbed the allegations as baseless. “The chief minister and the state administration are responsible for the violence,” Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal meeting, mentioned.
Vadodara violence:
Stones had been hurled at two Ram Navami processions in Gujarat’s Vadodara metropolis on Thursday, police mentioned, including that some individuals had been injured in one of many incidents. While the primary incident happened close to Panjrigar mohalla in Fatehpura space in the afternoon, the second happened in close by Kumbharwada in the night.
While nobody was injured in the Fatehpura incident, some individuals together with girls had been injured in the stone pelting by a mob in Kumbharwada, police mentioned.
The procession that got here below assault in Panjrigar mohalla had been organised by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The different procession had been organised by native residents. Local BJP MLA Manisha Vakil was a part of the procession which got here below assault in Kumbharwada.
“When the `shobha yatra’ (procession) was passing peacefully, some people suddenly started throwing stones at us. Some women who were part of the procession got injured. Police are trying their best to maintain law and order. Minister of State (MoS) for Home Harsh Sanghavi called me and took a stock of the situation on the ground,” mentioned Vakil.
Videos of the incident confirmed folks working for shelter after stone pelting started. A chariot carrying a Ram idol was pulled away to a protected location. Some of the injured instructed reporters that stones got here from close by terraces. City police commissioner Shamsher Singh visited Kumbharwada space after the incident.
“We will nab everyone who was involved in stone-pelting. We have CCTV footage,” he instructed reporters. Earlier in the afternoon, stones had been hurled at a VHP-organised Ram Navami procession when it was passing by way of Fatehpura space.
While some autos obtained broken, nobody was injured and the procession handed forward alongside its deliberate route below police safety, mentioned Deputy Commissioner of Police Yashpal Jaganiya. Jaganiya and different senior police officers rushed to the spot upon studying concerning the incident.
A Bajrang Dal chief claimed that police had been nowhere to be seen when the incident happened, however the DCP denied it. “The situation is under control. The (Fatehpura) incident took place when the procession reached near a mosque and people started gathering there. This is not a communal riot. We dispersed the crowd and the procession went ahead on its route. All such processions in the city had already been given police protection,” Jaganiya instructed reporters.
Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Ninama additionally reached the spot and ordered deployment of extra power to take care of peace.
“We have deployed armed men from regular police, crime branch, SOG (Special Operation Group) and State Reserve Police Force. As of now, there are no reports of anyone getting injured in the stone pelting. We have ordered an inquiry,” he mentioned.
No arrests have been made but, he added. Vadodara Bajrang Dal president Ketan Trivedi claimed that the stone-pelting was a part of a conspiracy. “This procession is targeted almost every year. Despite knowing that, there was no police deployment in the area. Stones were pelted as part of a pre-planned conspiracy,” he mentioned.
(With companies inputs)
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