In Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain’s Barnagar, a Muharram procession turned highly questionable when a van was lifted 40 feet up in the air with a crane, and a blast was made inside the van, leading to the vehicle getting burnt. A poster that said, ‘Lo Phir Aa Gaye’ was stuck on the windshield of the vehicle as well. The blast took place amidst procession participants waving red Islamic flags.
The incident has now garnered the attention of security agencies, with the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigating the matter to find out whether this was merely a demonstration performed using fire-crackers, or whether the act had a hidden motive behind it being performed.
Ujjain police are also looking into the matter, and they have identified 13 culprits, out of whom 4, Shoaib, Taslim, Jahid, and the crane operator, Vijay Tripathi, have been arrested. The owner of the crane used for lifting the van in the air, Gopal Rathore, and other individuals involved are absconding.
The incident forces one to raise a number of questions. Firstly, what relation does a Muharram procession, mourning and remembering the martyrdom of Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, have with intentionally blasting a van? The question that arises is why would a group of believers spread such anarchy when their religious procession could have been normal and organized without this dangerous nonsense?
The second question that one is forced to ask is what did the message stuck on the windshield of the vehicle, ‘Lo Phir Aa Gaye’ mean? For whom was this message meant, and what hidden meaning did it hold?
In a civilized society, such messages with latent meanings, the kind of anarchy that was involved, and the hooliganism that could be seen, cannot and should not be condoned, especially if such activities are being carried out under the guise of religious acts.
This unnecessary act of making a van blast during a religious procession, became the reflection of the very psyche of those who were a part of the same, in the name of organizing a Muharram procession, the participants made it quite evident that spreading fear was their objective, with clear messaging to instill terror in the hearts of those who witnessed the act, and above all, that they were not afraid to carry out something so preposterous under the guise of religion and tradition.
Now, it is important for the investigating agencies and the police to find out whether material other than fire crackers was used for the blast, and what exactly is the hidden meaning behind it all.
