On Thursday, 30th March, Hindus all across the country celebrated the birth anniversary of their beloved Lord Rama or Rama Navami as the festival is called. But in what has become the norm in this country, yet again, that too across several cities, Ram Navami processions carried out by Hindus were attacked by Muslims, who pelted stones, burned down vehicles and attacked the Hindus.
One of the processions which was attacked was being carried out in Gujarat’s Vadodara. As per reports, as soon as the procession reached a mosque near the Panjrigar mohalla under the Fatehpura Garana police post, it was attacked by around 200-250 Muslims, after which stones were thrown on the Hindu devotees participating in the procession. And as per the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, even though the attack was massive, the idol of Lord Rama was saved. Some vehicles including big cars were also damaged by the Muslim mob.
Another procession was targeted in the Kumbharwada area of Vadodara itself. The peaceful procession was suddenly attacked by Muslims as stones were pelted from terraces of the houses nearby, and several people were injured.
Next, an attack took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, when a Ram Navami procession passed from the front of a mosque called the Shahi Masjid, and a vehicle was also vandalized. As per the victims, Muslim women, men, and minor boys were all part of the mob pelting stones on the procession. Moreover, rather than the police taking any action against the mob, 7 participants of the procession were detained, who were set free when the disgruntled Hindus started with sloganeering against the police.
More attacks which took place were in West Bengal’s Islampur, Howrah, and Kolkata. In the Muslim-dominated Islampur, 1 person was killed and 5-6 policemen were injured. In Howrah too, several vehicles were torched and stones were pelted on the Hindus from rooftops. A scuffle took place between the Hindus and the Muslims in Kolkata’s Park Circus, when the Hindus reached a mosque and encountered a group of Muslims gathered there to offer Namaz.
This is not all. More Hindu processions were attacked in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Mumbai, and Jalgaon. On 29th March, a day prior to Ram Navami, a Hindu group was attacked by a Muslim group outside the only Ram Mandir in the Muslim-dominated area of Kiradpura in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. The Hindu youths were simply preparing for the Ram Navami celebrations the next day. In Jalgaon, a fight broke out between the Hindus and Muslims when a Hindu procession passed by a mosque on 28th March. Again, stones were pelted on the Hindus by the Muslims.
Similarly, when a Ram Navami procession passed by a mosque in the Malad suburb of Mumbai, Muslims attacked the procession by pelting stones on it.
