Communal tension flared up in town of Jehanabad in Bihar on Thursday following violent clashes during immersion of Durga idols. According to media reports, the incident occurred at Panchmahala near Arwal Mor in Jehanabad around 6 am on Thursday when a group of Hindus carrying idol of Goddess Durga for immersion was pelted with stones by some notorious and fringe elements belonging to a particular community.
They pelted stones at the Durga idol immersion procession without much reason and tried to inflict damage upon the religious Hindu devotees. About 14 people including 6 policemen were injured in the stampede and clashes after the cowardly stone-pelting took place. Two seriously injured and others have been admitted to the nearby Sadar Hospital. Angry over the religious sentiments being hurt, hundreds of devotees gathered at different places like Raja Bazar, Fida Hussain Road and Gareria Khand in groups after the news broke out, demanding strict action against the perpetrators of the attack. Some locals alleged that a religious shrine in the town was also set on fire. A few shops were also gutted in the blaze.
The district administration has clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC as a precautionary measure due to which markets and educational institutions remained closed and roads bore a deserted look. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were rushed to the strife-torn localities to prevent any further clashes. Flag marches were also carried out in the localities considered to be sensitive from security point of view. Meanwhile, immersion of all the Goddess Durga idols has been halted at Panchmahala in the area. The senior officials are in talks with locals to let the idols be immersed at Sangam Ghat.
“Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been invoked in the town. As per the orders, display of firearms and assembly of five or more than five people at a particular place have been banned. This will continue till further orders.” said Nivedita Kumari, Jehanabad sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), according to a TOI report.
Though it would be far-fetched to think that a particular community has been targeting the Hindus and specifically Durga Puja in recent times, one can not help but observe the pattern that is emerging in the slew of events that have preceded the Durga Puja. Any violence-related activity is not tolerable and should be highly condemned but when one user was seen giving the whole narrative a new spin on Twitter by attributing the violence to a community that was attacked for carrying a peaceful procession, then it is a case of simply hog washing the facts and if nothing it certainly reeks of hatred and hypocrisy. These situations demand maturity and inflicting such remarks can ignite the communal tensions further.
Watch this video and listen background voice, someone is saying that they pelting stone on the mosque.
2/n
CC @NitishKumar pic.twitter.com/xEwITRk9Z9
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) October 10, 2019
Earlier, a Visarjan procession in the bylanes of Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh had come under siege by the residents of the area belonging to a particular community. Stones were pelted, Hindus were attacked and injured, some, allegedly even with swords. The police have arrested 8 residents belonging to Muslim community who were actively involved in the stone-pelting. Several others are absconding and the Balrampur police have deployed 4 units to look for the miscreants.