A 22-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after a video of him brandishing a pistol during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah, West Bengal, went viral.
According to police, the accused- Sumit Shaw – is a resident of Salkia neighbourhood in the Howrah district. He was apprehended from one of his relative’s houses located in the Bangalma district of Bihar.
Shaw’s video was widely circulated on social media where he can be seen dancing and waving his pistol with excitement during the Hindu religious procession.
On March 30, violence broke out between two groups when a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra procession was taken out in Howrah city, where several vehicles were torched and shops were ransacked.
Mamata appeals for peace between Hindus, Muslims
Meanwhile, chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP for allegedly trying to stoke communal tension during the Ram Navami procession in Howrah and said those involved in the incident will not 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 said.
She also asked “Hindu brothers” to protect minorities and claimed that there are plans afoot for another round of violence in the state on Thursday when the nation celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.
“I will entrust a responsibility to my Hindu brothers to see that minorities are not tortured on April 6 (Hanuman Jayanti),” Banerjee said.
