Ahead of Ram Navami, 4 States Suffer Communal Clash

One death reported!

Ahead of the Hindu Festival Ram Navami, Communal clashes broke out in four states - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal - during processions yesterday to mark Ram Navami - the festival celebrating the birth of Hindu God Ram.

According to senior police personnel of MP, many parts of Madhya Pradesh's Khargone were placed under curfew after violence and arson during a Ram Navami procession. Police have been deployed in large numbers to prevent any flare-up.

Moreover, Additional Collector SS Mujalde said clashes broke out when stones were allegedly thrown at a procession that started from the Talab Chowk area following an altercation over playing music from loudspeakers. "Police had to fire teargas shells to control the situation," Mr Mujalde said.

Several visuals and footages show vehicles set on fire, some people throwing stones, and the police firing teargas shells. Many policemen, including police superintendent Siddharth Chaudhary, were injured. Four houses were set on fire and a temple was vandalised.

Taking notes on Gujarat violence, communal clashes took place in Anand district's Khambhat and Sabarkantha district's Himmatnagar, news agency PTI reported. Stone pelting and arson were reported at both places and police had to fire teargas shells to control the situation, officials said.

In Khambhat, Police superintendent Ajeet Rajyan said, "The body of an unidentified man, who appears to be around 65 years old, was recovered from the spot where the two groups clashed during a Ram Navami procession."

In Himmatnagar, a mob damaged some vehicles and shops and police had to use teargas shells to control the situation, PTI reported. "During the melee, some persons were hit by stones," Sabarkantha's police chief Vishal Vaghela said.

Moreover, in Bengal's Howrah, policemen have been positioned in large numbers after reports of clashes during a Ram Navami procession in the Shibpur area. Police have said they are taking steps to maintain peace.

The opposition BJP has alleged that the police had attacked the Ram Navami procession. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused police personnel of raining blows on those participating in the Ram Navami procession.

Police have requested residents in Howrah to maintain restraint while posting anything on social media and have warned them against spreading any fake news.