Raipur: During the “Chhattisgarh Bandh” on Christmas Eve, Hindutva workers armed with sticks vandalised Raipur’s Magneto Mall, forcibly taking down festive Christmas decorations, alleging illegal religious conversion.
The mob barged into the mall on Wednesday, December 24, and thrashed the place, removing decorations and installations despite the security personnel trying to stop them.
According to Raipur Station House Officer (SHO) Avinash Singh’s statement, the mall’s management filed a complaint, based on which a case has been registered. The police stated that closed circuit television (CCTV) footage was acquired along with vehicle registration numbers to conduct further investigations.
“A first information report (FIR) has been registered under various sections of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) related to vandalism, unlawful assembly, and forcibly entering the mall. The accused are being identified based on the CCTV footage and vehicle numbers we have obtained. Arrests will be made soon,” Singh said.
Bandh called after burial dispute in Kanker
The “bandh” was called in the wake of the recent communal clash over the burial of a Christian man’s father in Kanker district, where several officers were injured. The issue began when the sarpanch of the village buried his father, Chamra Ram Salam, on his family’s private land. Villagers raised objections to his burial because, while Rajman follows Christianity, his 70-year-old father reportedly remained a practising Hindu.
Meanwhile, the city police claimed that the situation remained “largely peaceful” during the bandh, even with sporadic cases such as the violent mall vandalisation being reported.
Additionally, traffic movement was affected at several places as protesters, mainly from right-wing organisations, staged demonstrations and blocked roads demanding stricter laws to curb alleged religious conversions. Trade and commerce bodies extended support to the bandh in many districts.
State president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Ghanshyam Choudhary, was quoted by PTI as saying that the protest was held to draw attention towards the alleged forced religious conversions in the state.
He alleged that frequent instances of missionaries violating rules and carrying out conversions were being reported, particularly in tribal-dominated areas.
(With inputs from PTI)
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