Violence broke out during a Ram Navami procession on 10 April in Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. A day later, people from two communities again pelted stones at each other. Three cases have been registered in connection with the violence. At the same time, one person has died in the violence on the occasion of Ram Navami in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand.
Security personnel deployed after a communal clash during Ram Navami procession in Himmatnagar on April 10. (Photo: PTI)
Ahmedabad/Palghar/Ranchi/Lohardaga: In Gujarat’s Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, people from two different communities pelted stones at each other, following which the police took at least four people into custody. The officers provided this information.
Police said that the incident took place on Monday night in Vanjarawas area.
In some videos shared on social media, some people can be seen throwing petrol bombs in other areas.
Hindu mob set fire to the Dargah in Himmatnagar, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/eQX3FCHJIT
— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) April 10, 2022
According to Superintendent of Police Vishal Kumar Vaghela, it was an incident of minor violence and tear gas shells were also used to disperse the crowd.
Vaghela said, ‘On receiving information about the violence, we left for the spot and brought the situation under control. We have detained four people from the spot. It was an incident of minor violence and the situation was brought under control soon.
Even before this, communal clashes broke out between two communities during Ram Navami processions on Sunday (April 10) in Himmatnagar and Khambhat cities of Gujarat.
A police officer has said that three cases have been registered regarding the violence in Chhapariya of Himmatnagar. “More than 30 accused have been arrested,” he told reporters.
He further said that CCTV footage has been examined and over 1,000 police officers have been deployed.
The first FIR mentions the formation of ‘an illegal group to carry out a pre-planned conspiracy’, in which a dargah has been set ablaze and vehicles vandalized.
Apart from this, people tried to harm each other and disturb the law and order situation by pelting stones and giving provocative speeches against religions, the police said.
The people named in the FIR include Ahmed Hussain Ghiyasuddin Syed, Shahrukh Pathan, Junaid and Shahrukh. A complaint has also been filed against another group of about 50 Muslims, 50 Hindus and about 50 other Hindus and a group of Muslims, whose names are not yet known.
Another FIR has been registered by Sub-Inspector of Police SJ Chavda against Asapak Khan at Himatnagar A Division police station and local crime branch of around 100.
The FIR states that the accused used stones, glass bottles and sticks as weapons. This comes after a sub-inspector and a constable were injured in the April 10 incident.
The third FIR has been registered by a police sub-inspector. According to this, violence took place between 1:30 pm and 7 pm at Imambara Chowk, Ashrafnagar town, Chhapariya and other places of Himmatnagar.
It has been said in the complaint that the Ram Navami procession reached Chhapariya Ramji temple at around 1.30 pm with tractor, open jeep, a DJ and 300 people. The FIR has claimed that during this time accused Asapak Khan, a leader of the Muslim community, collected stones and glass soda bottles to attack the procession and planned to execute a criminal conspiracy.
A policeman deployed for security in the procession allegedly lost his life when he came in the way of the attack.
Apart from police vehicles, housing, public and private property were torched, vandalized and damaged, the FIR said.
To prevent such incidents, the District Collector has imposed Section 144 of CrPC in Himatnagar city, under which more than five people were killed in some sensitive areas of the city including Chhaparia, where arson and stone pelting were reported on April 10. Gathering is prohibited.
The prohibitory orders will remain in force till April 13. Jawans of the Rapid Action Force, local police and State Reserve Police marched in the Chhapariya area.
Nine arrested for violence on the day of Ram Navami in Khambhat
Apart from this, the police have arrested nine people for their involvement in violence and stone pelting during Ram Navami procession in Khambhat of Anand district of Gujarat.
Officials said that Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi had called a meeting of top police officers in Gandhinagar late on Sunday night regarding these incidents and gave necessary orders. On April 10, one person was killed in a clash in Khambhat.
According to Anand Superintendent of Police Ajit Rajian, nine people have been arrested so far for allegedly involved in violence and stone pelting.
He said, ‘The situation in Khambhat city is under control. We have already arrested nine suspects and started further investigation.
According to police sources, some local clerics are also among those arrested.
Jharkhand: One killed, 12 others injured in clashes during Ram Navami procession
Like in Gujarat, one person was killed and 12 others were injured in violence during a procession on the occasion of Ram Navami near Hirahi Bhokta Garden area of Lohardaga district in Jharkhand. An official gave this information on Monday.
He said that eight people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place on Sunday.
Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Arvind Kumar Lal said that so far eight people have been arrested in connection with the violence, who are being questioned.
Internet services have been suspended in Lohardaga town and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been imposed in the entire district, he said.
According to district officials, violent clashes broke out between members of two communities near Hirahi village at around 5:30 pm on Sunday after they allegedly pelted stones at the Ram Navami procession. During this, 10 motorcycles and a van were set on fire. It took about an hour for the district administration officials and the police to control the situation.
Lohardaga Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC) Waghmare Prasad Krishna and Superintendent of Police Priyanka Meena are currently monitoring the situation.
Arvind Kumar Lal said, ‘The situation is now under control. There is no disturbance anywhere. Internet services have been suspended in the city area and Section 144 has been imposed in the district to prevent the spread of rumours. Internet services will be restored only after being fully assured.
He told that the condition of three people is critical and they are undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. The other six injured are admitted to local hospitals in Lohardaga.
Lal said, ‘One person died in the violent clash. The deceased has been identified as 40-year-old Mannan Ansari, a resident of Chandwa. Twelve others have suffered minor or serious injuries in the clash.
Maharashtra: On Ram Navami Without Case registered against three for taking out permission procession
A case has been registered against three people for taking out a Ram Navami procession without the permission of the police in Palghar, Maharashtra on Sunday. An official gave this information on Monday.
He told that the accused belong to a rival faction of a trust here and they wanted to take out a separate procession from the main procession.
“Police had asked him to join the main procession, but he refused to do so, following which a case was registered against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Maharashtra Police Rules,” he said. When their procession was stopped, the accused also misbehaved with the police.
It is known that during the processions on Ram Navami, there were reports of communal violence in four states- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
(with input from news agency language)
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