New Delhi : The Shivaji Jayanti procession began peacefully in Karnataka’s Bagalkot. But the peace did not last long as it passed in front of a mosque, and stones were allegedly thrown at the procession. It resulted in a major communal flare-up, with police imposing Section 144. Around 400 km from Bagalkot, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh also witnessed a similar communal unrest during Ramzan prayers.
However, in all three incidents, there were no casualties, and swift police action helped bring the situation under control. Tension flared in Jabalpur’s sensitive Sihora tehsil on Thursday night after a Durga temple complex was allegedly vandalised, leading to clashes and stone-pelting between two groups. A youth allegedly damaged the grill of the temple, leading to an altercation. However, all hell broke loose soon, escalating into scuffles and stone pelting. Police forces from nearby stations were rushed to the spot.
District Collector Raghavendra Singh and senior police officer Sampat Upadhyay said no religious structure was damaged and there were no reports of injuries. Around 20 people have been detained, police said. Locals said the Azad Chowk area has long been considered sensitive. The issue of the aarti and namaz timings coinciding at the temple and the adjacent mosque has been an issue previously as well. Presently, the situation is under control.
Hindu groups alleged that a stone was thrown from the mosque area, triggering unrest. One of the stones hit Superintendent of Police Siddharth Goyal, who suffered minor head injuries. “As the procession approached the mosque, two stones were thrown from a distance toward us,” Goyal told the media. Another report said tensions erupted after a group of Muslims objected to a song played by the DJ, which included the line “mandir banayenge”, during the procession.
However, police intervened promptly, dispersing both groups. Section 144 has been imposed for the next four days in Bagalkot town, and eight people have been arrested in the stone pelting case. “We know who exactly pelted the two stones. The situation is now under control,” the Bagalkot SP said. In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, a minor communal flare-up took place when a Shivaji Jayanti procession was passing a mosque during Ramzan prayers in Hyderabad’s Amberpet.
Read Also : India Participates As Observer In Trump’s Inaugural Board Of Peace Meeting On Gaz