Clashes during Ram Navami processions in West Bengal, parts of India: Top points
1 min read 30 Mar 2023, 09:40 PM ISTChief Minister Mamata Banerjee took cognizance of the incident and alleged that goons have been hired to orchestrate communal riots in the state
PremiumAs India celebrated Ram Navami on Friday, incidents of clashes were reported from the state of West Bengal and other parts of India. The videos from the incidents doing rounds on social media and vehicles were also torched in the incident. West Bengal police carried out a flag march in Howrah after the ruckus.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took cognizance of the incident and alleged that goons have been hired to orchestrate communal riots in the state.
"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?" CM Mamata Banerjee said.
"Those who were involved in today's violence will not be spared. I do not support riot mongers and consider them the enemy of the country. The BJP has always targeted Howrah. The other targets for them are Park Circus and Islampur. Everybody must be alert in their localities," she warned.
Similar incidents were reported in other states like Gujarat and Maharashtra.
In Gujarat, the police informed that the ruckus erupted as the Ram Navami procession reached a mosque and people started gathering on the spot. The additional commissioner of police said that no one was injured in the clash and a probe has been ordered.
"We have deployed armed personnel from the regular police, crime branch, SOG, and State Reserve Police Force. As of now, there are no reports of anyone getting injured due to the stone pelting. We have ordered an inquiry into the incident," Manoj Ninama, additional commissioner of police, told PTI.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar of Maharashtra, a violent confrontation occurred between two factions, leading to a group of approximately 500 individuals throwing stones and bottles filled with petrol at each other. As a result of this clash, a dozen individuals were injured, including ten police officers.
"It started after two groups, each comprising around five persons, clashed near the Ram temple. After some time, one group left the place and the police soon came to the site. After an hour, a mob gathered there, bringing stones and petrol-filled bottles along, which they threw at the police personnel," Aurangabad Police Commissioner Nikhil Gupta told a Marathi news channel.
(With inputs from agencies)
