A string of violent incidents marred Ram Navami celebrations across the country last week. Stone-pelting, sloganeering and arson triggered communal tensions resulting in deaths, destruction, and damage to property.
At least six states including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar witnessed such violent clashes.
Many of these incidents were reported during the processions carried out by different groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Viral videos depict saffron-clad persons carrying weapons including swords and guns attending Ram Naval processions. One of the videos that went viral on social media showed a man carrying a gun during a Ram Navami rally in Howrah.
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The clashes serve as an uncanny reminder of the situation last year wherein dozens of people were injured, houses, shops and vehicles set on fire and internet suspension orders followed by curfews.
Here is a look at some of the incidents which have been reported so far this year:
West Bengal
A riot-like situation broke out in West Bengal’s Howrah district near Kolkata amid Ram Navami celebrations on Thursday. The incident took place near Kazipada, a Muslim-majority neighbourhood adjacent to Shibpur. Residents claim that such communal violence has not erupted in the area for decades.
Last week, videos circulating on social media platforms showed several vehicles set on fire and public property being vandalised amid heavy police deployment in the area.
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According to a report by Times of India, state BJP leaders and RSS members took out processions on Ram Navami which amounted to “about 1,000 small and large rallies across the state.” The report added that saffron flags, large cutouts of Lord Ram were seen everywhere and alleged that some of the participants were carrying swords and trishuls (tridents).
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the incident and accused the opposition BJP of “hiring goons from outside” and orchestrating communal riots in the state, sparking a war of words between the two parties.
Days after the violence, the situation continues to be tense in the state as all local and mail express train services on Eastern Railway's Howrah–Barddhaman main line were suspended for three hours between Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
Gujarat
A similar sight wore on the streets of Vadodara wherein stones were hurled at two Ram Navami processions in the Gujarat city on Thursday, police said, adding that some persons were injured in one of the incidents.
According to reports, stones were thrown at mosques and houses of Muslims. While the first incident took place near Panjrigar mohalla in the Fatehpura area in the afternoon, the second took place in nearby Kumbharwada in the evening. The procession that came under attack in Panjrigar mohalla had been organised by VHP. The other procession had been organised by residents.
The town of Una in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district was also in the grips of communal tensions after an alleged hate speech against a minority community by a Hindu social and political activist Kajal Hindustani at a Ram Navami event on Thursday.
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Bihar
On March 31, clashes were reported in Nalanda's Bihar Sharif, Rohtas' Sasaram where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to visit. His visit was eventually called off due to the imposition of Section 144 following clashes in the district.
The Bihar police have since arrested 45 people in connection with the clashes, with 18 arrests being made in connection with the Sasaram incident. A day after that, five people were injured in a bomb blast in Sasaram town.
Maharashtra
On the eve of Ram Navami, in Kiradpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (erstwhile Aurangabad) in Maharashtra, a mob of 500-600 people allegedly pelted stones at police personnel near a prominent Ram temple. The violence left at least 10 of them injured, and torched 13 police vehicles. In retaliation, the police used tear gas and plastic bullets, according to a report by The Print.
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In Mumbai’s Malad region, Muslims and Hindus clashed during a Ram Navami procession after some of them objected to loud music being played on speakers, reported PTI, citing an official.
Telangana
Hyderabad witnessed a suspended BJP leader T Raja Singh making a derogatory speech during a Ram Navami procession, The Quint reported. The city police have registered a case against him for the same.
Making calls for an "Akhand Hindu Rashtra", he addressed the gathering saying that when a “Hindu Rashtra” is formed, no more cows will die and the “jihadis” will be removed from India. He further said, "..in our Hindu Rashtra, only those people who say 'hum do, hamare do' will be given the right to vote."
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Videos also showed the people at the rally waving portraits of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Jharkhand
On April 1, a minor clash erupted in Sahibganj district in Jharkhand in which some vehicles and shops were damaged. Following that, a Hanuman temple near Patel chowk was vandalised by miscreants prompting authorities to suspend internet services in the area.
Stone pelting was also reported from outside the Indrapuri Mosque in Hazaribag town following which the police registered an FIR.
Uttar Pradesh
A clash erupted between two groups following a spat during a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra that was taken out near Shahi Masjid in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow on Thursday. The fight involved stone pelting and physical assault, sources said. An argument ensued between two groups after a man, identified as Sumit, along with 10-15 other people, played music on a DJ while passing past a mosque, which was objected to by another group.
