Indore Temple Accident News Live
The violence broke out soon after a Ram Navami procession crossed the area. Visuals showed several vehicles engulfed in flames and heavy police deployment – including riot control force – in the area. A police van and a car with their glasses smashed were also seen in the videos from the spot.
CM assures strict action
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee assured strict action against the perpetrators of the violence in Howrah’s Shibpur and asserted that usage of unauthorised route led to the clash.
“They have been hiring goons from outside the state to orchestrate communal riots. Nobody has stopped their processions but they do not have the right to march with swords and bulldozers. How did they get the audacity to do this in Howrah?,” said Banerjee.
“Why did they change the route and take the unauthorised route to particularly target and attack one community? If they believe that they will attack others and receive relief through legal interventions, they must know that the people will reject them one day. Those who haven’t done any wrong will not be arrested. How do BJP workers have the courage to bulldoze people’s homes?,” the CM said.
Rallies across the state
Leaders of the BJP and RSS led processions in different parts of West Bengal where the RSS organised about 1,000 small and large rallies across the state.
Chanting slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, thousands of people took part in those processions in Howrah, Kharagpur, Barrackpore, Bhadreswar, Siliguri and Asansol.
Drumbeats, saffron flags and large cutouts of Lord Ram featured prominently in these processions. Some of those participating in the processions were allegedly carrying swords and trishuls.
BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, who participated in one such rally in Howrah’s Ramrajatala, said there was a need to use such weapons against the evil. “Lord Rama had used weapons to vanquish the demons,” said Ghosh, a corporator of Kolkata.
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh performed puja at the 300-year-old Ram Mandir in Ramrajatala. TMC leader Arjun Singh also took part in a Ram Navami procession organised by a religious outfit in Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district.
Other clashes across India
While celebrations remained largely incident-free in the rest of the country with people coming out on the streets with religious fervour and enthusiasm and law-enforcement agencies on the watch, clashes were witnessed in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi.
02:50
Maharashtra: Police, public vehicles set on fire during clash between two groups in Kiradpura
In Maharashtra’s Aurangabad, at least 12 people, including 10 policemen, were injured after a mob of around 500 people hurled stones and petrol-filled bottles when personnel tried to control the situation following a clash between two groups near a Ram temple.
The incident, in which 13 vehicles were torched, occurred during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday in Kiradpura, which houses the famous Ram temple. The police used tear gas and fired some plastic bullets as well as live rounds to control the mob, the officials said.
Stones were hurled at a procession in Fatehpura area of Gujarat’s Vadodara city. While some vehicles got damaged, no one was injured in the incident and the procession passed along its planned route under police protection, said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Yashpal Jaganiya.
01:44
Security deployed in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri after no permission to hold Ram Navami procession
In Delhi, a large number of people defied a police order and took out a procession in Jahangirpuri, which witnessed riots last year during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.
The Delhi Police said they deployed riots controls personnel in Jahangirpuri after a group took out ”Shree Ram Bhagwan Pratima Yatra” as part of the Ramnavami Mahotsav despite it being denied permission.
“We also conducted Aman committee meetings in the area and patrolling was being done by the police. The organisers were advised to cut down their route to 100 metres from the park where it was started and they agreed, and the programme went peacefully,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Jitendra Meena said.
(With inputs from agencies)
