As the country bid goodbye to Goddess Durga, religious clashes dominated the nine-day Navratri celebration across the country. States such as Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka reported incidents of clashes between the two communities.
Madhya Pradesh
On September 11, PTI reported that MP Culture Minister Usha Thakur issued a statement regarding love jihad. She directed authorities to check ID cards for entry at Garba events in order to curb visits by non-Hindu people.
Similarly, the right-wing organisation Akhand Hindu Sena (AHS) announced no entry for non-Hindu community people in Garba events.
“Ten activists each, including women, of our Akhand Hindu Sena (AHS) are going to guard every Garba venue across the state to prevent attempts of ‘Love Jihad’,” Aavahan Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Atuleshanand Saraswati told reporters.
In another incident reported in Ujjain on October 2, Bajrang Dal claimed it had handed over three “non-Hindus” to the police for allegedly entering a Garba venue by hiding their identities.
“Volunteers checking if vulgar songs were being played at Garba venues found three non-Hindus had entered by hiding their identities on Saturday night. People started thrashing them and it was our activists who saved them and handed them to Madhavnagar police,” Bajrang Dal district convener Ankit Choube claimed.
In Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district at Surjani village stones were hurled at a Garba pandal following which police booked 19 persons.
Police then went on to bulldoze the house of three people on grounds of “illegal constructions”.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Anurag Sujania told reporters, “After receiving information about stone pelting at a Garba pandal due to a dispute between two groups, the police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.”
In another incident, an 11-year-old girl, who was watching the progress in Indore, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the last day. During a medical examination, the doctors detected a bullet-like object in her skull, which was removed during the autopsy. The police suspect the victim died in a celebratory firing.
Gujarat
Clashes broke in districts such as Vadodara, Kheda, and Surat during the Navratri celebrations. In Kheda, a group of minorities allegedly entered a Navratri Garba venue in Undhela village and started pelting stones. Six persons were reportedly injured, according to the police.
Police arrested three people in connection to the violence. However, police officials resorted to flogging the accused in full public view instead of taking the path of law.
The video was made viral and received sharp criticism from Twitter. Network 18’s news anchor Aman Chopra described the flogging incident as ‘Gujarat Police ka Dandiya’ encouraging police brutality.
A voluntary organisation in Gujarat has sent legal notices to the state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police regarding this.
“Those who were flogged belong to the minority Muslim community. Despite the atrocity at the behest of the police personnel having been widely reported, no action has been taken/initiated till date in complete violation of all rights of those flogged,” stated the legal notice, sent through lawyer Anand Yagnik.
“Such open and brazen violation is not only against the protected right under Article 21 but against the whole constitutional spirit of a civilized society,” it further stated.
The second incident occurred in Surat where Bajrang Dal activists and bouncers from the minority community clashed during a Garba event.
The Bajrang Dal activists conducted a surprise check on the eve of Garba night. During the inspection, they found out that the Garba organiser had hired a security team, which had Muslim bouncers.
The activists asked the organiser to cancel the security service and ensure that no Muslim bouncer was on duty. However, that did not happen and on the following night, a clash occurred between the right-wing organisations and Muslim bouncers.
Surat’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Sagar Bagmar assured the situation was under control.
“Some clash was reported at Thakorji vadi garba event to the police, a team was dispatched and the situation was brought under control. One person is said to be injured, police don’t have detailed information, the investigation is going on, whosoever is responsible, will be arrested,” he said.
The third incident happened in Vadodara where police arrested 40 people after a communal clash erupted at a vegetable market in Savli town on October 2.
According to police officer P R Patel of Vadodra rural police, a local Muslim group tied a religious flag on a pole that was opposed by the Hindu community.
Speaking to ANI the police officer said, “A Muslim festival is coming up, owing to which a local group had tied their religious flag on an electronic pole. There is a temple nearby. Clashes broke out after another local group went to convey how their religious sentiments were hurt.”
Four teachers of Hathaj Primary School in Gujarat’s Kheda district were on Sunday suspended after they allegedly forced school students to chant ‘Ya Hussain’ at a Garba event organised.
Karnataka
A Hindu mob forcefully performed pooja at Mahmud Gawan Madarsa mosque in Bidar in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
A video sourced from The Hindustan Gazette shows a Hindu group, who were taking a Devi procession on the occasion of the Dasara festival, forcefully breaking the lock.
Based on a complaint filed by Mohammed Shafiuddin, who is a mosque committee member nine people were booked by the Bidar police.
In his complaint, Shafiuddin alleged the miscreants with malafide intentions to disturb peace, and harmony and create violence in this district headquarters town have been active for a long time. They installed statues or photos on the premises and entered religious and government monuments, he alleged.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has also condemned the incident. “Extremists broke the gate lock and attempted to desecrate historic Mahmud Gawan masjid and mosque,” he charged.
Addressing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Bidar police, he asked, “How can you allow this to happen? BJP is promoting such activities only to demean Muslims,” he stated.
Telangana
Commotion prevailed at Byathole village, Kandi mandal in Sangareddy district 60 kilometers from Hyderabad after a mob hoisted a saffron flag and carved some Hindu religious inscriptions at a Qutb Shahi era mosque during Dussehra festivities.
The village elders including the sarpanch and other leaders of the ruling party hoisted a saffron flag on the mosque and inscribed the ‘Om’ symbol.
“An attempt is made to grab the mosque. Local leaders of the TRS party are involved. A systematic attempt is being made by the party to hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims,” he said.
Navratri has been long associated with communal harmony where people from various faiths take part in the dance and enjoy the festivities. However, recent incidents and the emergence of certain right-wing organisations over the years have squeezed out the spirit of harmony and brotherhood.
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