Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, April 16: Communal clashes broke out in Jahangirpuri and several other adjoining areas in Delhi following stone pelting on a Hanuman Jayanti procession even as the Congress government in riot-hit Rajasthan played the Hindu card organising the celebrations of Lord Hanuman’s birthday in a big way on Saturday.
Official sources said the members of the two communities clashed in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area after stones were allegedly pelted at a Hanuman Jayanti procession. Several people, including cops, have been injured in the ensuing chaos. Visuals of the clashes show huge groups of people on different sides of a road pelting stones at each other and quickly falling back as the police try to intervene.
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said it was not just Jahangirpuri but other adjoining and sensitive areas have also seen clashes. “The situation is being monitored. Additional forces have been sent to troubled areas and senior officials have been asked to stay in their respective areas to monitor the situation and supervise patrolling. Two companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have also been deployed in and around Jahangirpuri. Two policemen have been injured but the nature of injuries can only be known after investigations,” he said. He also said strict action would be taken against rioters and appealed to the people to not pay heed to rumours and fake news on social media.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke Asthana and Delhi Police’s Special Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Dependra Pathak. He directed them to take necessary action in wake of the violence and handle the matter sensitively. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has condemned the stone-pelting and called for action against those involved. “Appeal to everyone to hold each other’s hands and maintain peace,” he said on Twitter.
Speaking to reporters in the capital, he said the country cannot progress without peace. “Everyone needs to maintain peace and order. If required, there are the police and agencies. The central government is responsible for maintaining peace here. I also appeal to the people to maintain peace,” he said.
Delhi Police said there was a ruckus during the procession and there have been reports of stone-pelting on participants of the procession, with some incidents of arson also reported. “All our senior officers are at the spot and the situation is under control. Extra forces have been deployed. We are investigating which policemen have been injured,” Delhi police spokesman said.
Meanwhile, in what is being seen as the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government’s Hindutva pitch, special prayers and “sundarkand path” were organised in two temples of every district in the state on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti (birth anniversary of Hindu God Hanuman). Earlier, Ramayan recitals were organised by the state government on the occasion of Ramnavmi (birth anniversary of Lord Ram). Both of these events were held by the state government’s Devasthan department – the department that oversees temples and religious trusts in the state.
“We have organised sundarkand recitals in almost all temples run by the government. The Chief Minister believes that there is divinity in every being, that’s why the Congress government has so many social welfare schemes. Now that Covid is over, we are going to start pilgrimage yatras for the elderly, the minister for the Devasthan department Shakuntala Rawat, who personally oversaw and organised the sundarkand recital at the temple Shri Ramchandra Ji inside Jaipur’s walled city on Saturday morning.
After communal clashes in Karauli town two weeks ago, the Congress and the BJP have been trading charges with the latter accusing the Congress-led state government of appeasement and the grand old party accusing the BJP of indulging in divisive politics. The BJP, however, strongly criticised the Congress government’s latest move to please the Hindu voters and said the Rajasthan government’s recitals of sundarkand path were only “farcical” aimed at vote bank politics.