At least 20 persons were injured after violence broke out during a procession organised to celebrate the Hindu festival of Ram Navami in the Rejinagar area of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported.
A woman was seriously injured and admitted to the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, the newspaper said quoting an unidentified police officer. “The rest have been admitted at the local hospital.”
Stones were allegedly hurled at the procession from the roof of a house, which led to the violence, The Indian Express reported citing unidentified sources. Security was later tightened in the area.
Following the violence, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari on social media criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and alleged that the police had fired teargas shells so that the procession would end abruptly.
“Mamata [Banerjee’s] Police joined the miscreants in this ghastly attack and fired teargas shells on Ram devotees to disperse them to ensure that the procession ends abruptly,” Adhikari said.
“This is the result of Mamata Banerjee’s provocation and incitation,” he said. “For peaceful and incident-free celebration of religious festivals in West Bengal, this state government must be replaced.”
Adhikari also urged the Election Commission to take note of the “failure on the part of the police” in controlling the violence.
3 assaulted for shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’
In Bengaluru, three men were allegedly assaulted on Wednesday for shouting “Jai Shri Ram”, the Karnataka Police said, according to The Indian Express.
Four persons, including two minors, were arrested in connection with the assault, the police added.
According to the police, the attack took place as D Pavan Kumar, Binayaka and Rahul were in their car and shouting slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” near Vidyaranyapura in the city at 3.20 pm. They were stopped by two men – Farman and Sameer – on a motorbike who allegedly abused them and asked them not to chant the slogan.
A video of the incident was also circulated on social media where a person outside the car can allegedly be heard saying, “Jai Shri Ram, no. Only Allahu Akbar,” The Indian Express reported.
It also showed Kumar, Binayaka and Rahul getting out of the car and trying to chase the two men. While the three men were returning to their car, Sameer and Farman came with a few others and assaulted them before fleeing the spot.
The police said that it had registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
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