Incidents of vandalism and violence occurred in different parts of the country on Monday, 22 January — on the day of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The incidents were of varying scales ranging from sandals allegedly thrown inside a mosque and a shop being burnt in Telangana and a graveyard set on fire in Bihar, to violent skirmishes in different parts of Maharashtra.
In Gujarat, an FIR has been registered after alleged stone-pelting on a Shobha Yatra celebrating the inauguration of the temple. Videos of hateful songs being played in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow have also gone viral. In Madhya Pradesh, a saffron flag with the Ram Temple’s image on it was planted on top of a Church a day before the ceremony.
The ‘pran pratishtha’ or consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple took place in Ayodhya on Monday afternoon, with the first pooja done by PM Narendra Modi in the presence of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and UP Governor Anandiben Patel.
Telangana: Ruckus In Front Of Mosque, Shop Set On Fire
In Telangana’s Narayanpet district, a procession celebrating the Ram Temple consecration arrived in front of Madina Masjid in Kosgi town, with music blaring from their DJ system. The procession allegedly “burnt crackers in front of the mosque, and some persons threw sandals into the mosque” as per the FIR. The FIR, accessed by The Quint, also states that "some papers were blown out" which went into the mosque.
Seven people have been named in the FIR, but no arrests have taken place yet.
The procession gathered outside a mosque in Kosgi, Narayanpet, Telangana.
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“The procession entered a small lane and stood in front of the masjid located there. They played music on DJ and burst crackers, and also blew some papers which entered the mosque through the windows. After the procession left, local Muslims came to the police station and registered a complaint,” SHO Srinivas of Kosgi police station told The Quint.
Meanwhile, tensions also flared up in Telangana’s Sangareddy district, where a shop belonging to a Muslim fruit vendor was reportedly set on fire.
"Some unknown persons threw a shoe at a procession, and then the mob went wild and sat on the road for one hour. One person's shop was set on fire by the mob. One case has been filed against unknown members of one community for throwing the shoe and another case against the other community's members for burning the shop," a police official from Jinnaram police station told The Quint.
Bihar: Graveyard in Set On Fire
In Khirma village in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, a procession celebrating the ceremony allegedly threw a firecracker inside a Muslim graveyard, leading to the fire quickly spreading across the graveyard.
“A Shobha Yatra was passing by a graveyard. Someone who was part of the Shobha Yatra lit a firecracker and threw it inside the graveyard, causing fire inside,” Rani Kumari, SHO of Keoti police station told The Quint. The fire was subsequently contained and an FIR has been registered. “12 people have been named in the FIR, and 50-100 unknown individuals. No arrests have been made so far,” the SHO added.
A graveyard was set on fire in Darbhanga, Bihar.
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A video of the fire has gone viral on social media.
Multiple Violent Incidents In Mumbai And Nearby
In Maharashtra, violence reportedly occurred in different parts of Mumbai and those adjacent to Mumbai. Violence has been reported from Mira Road, Panvel, Naya Nagar and Bhayander.
There were two incidents reported from Naya Nagar area of Mira Road on Sunday and Monday, with a total of 13 people arrested so far. The first FIR was registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 307 (attempt to murder), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 295A (malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) and others.
There are several videos circulating on X (Formerly twitter) of the violence and scuffle between two communities. In one such video, a youth is seen standing on a two-wheeler, who was part of a group wearing saffron, waving a firearm during a procession. In another video, reportedly from Mira Road, a youth on his bike can be seen being stopped and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. In another video, a mob can be seen attacking cars going past a locality.
The police is investigating and verifying these videos.
Uttar Pradesh: Hate Song In Lucknow
In Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, a video of a hateful song being played in Narhi, Hazratganj, surfaced on social media. The song was allegedly played by a procession celebrating the Ram Temple event. The FIR, registered in connection with this, states that the song was being played by the organiser of a bhandara (public feast) being done in the area.
Two people have been arrested in connection with the song. The FIR has been registered under IPC 294 (singing, reciting or uttering any obscene song in public).
A mob gathered in Hazratganj, Lucknow, and allegedly played hateful songs.
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Gujarat: Stones Pelted On Procession In Vadodara
In Vadodara, stones were allegedly pelted on a procession celebrating the event in Bhoj village in Padra taluka.
“Some people threw stones at the procession when it reached a street in the village. Police personnel accompanying the procession brought the situation under control and it proceeded on its designated route,” Vadodara SP Rohan Anand told reporters.
The SP further said that tensions were high in the village even ahead of the procession. “A combing operation has been launched to nab three to four persons who reportedly threw stones,” the SP added.
Madhya Pradesh: Saffron Flag Placed On Church
In MP’s Jhabua, a group of men chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. climbed on top of a church and planted a saffron flag, a day before the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. In a video, the men can be seen climbing the Church, and attaching a flag on the Christian cross. The saffron flag had a picture of the Ayodhya Ram Temple and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ inscribed on it. The incident took place on Sunday, 21 January, a day before the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony.
A man climbed on a church in MP's Jhabua and planted a saffron flag.
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Speaking to The Quint, the pastor of the church, Narbu Amaliyar, said that the group of men arrived yelling the slogans right after the Sunday prayer had completed.
The Jhabua SP, however, said that no FIR has been registered yet since there has been no complain registered.
Karnataka: Stone Pelting, Defacement Of Ambedkar Statue In Kalaburgi
In Karnataka’s Kalaburgi district, multiple skirmishes took place.
In Kotnoor village, an Ambedkar statue was defaced with a garland of footwear, late Monday night. This led to heightened protests by many Dalit organisations. Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanika Sikriwal visited the spot and paid floral tributes to Ambedkar statues to pacify the protestants.
Earlier in the day, stone pelting had occurred and a quarrel had broken out between members of two communities over a procession celebrating the inauguration in Wadi town in Chittapur taluk of Kalaburgi.
In response, a prohibitory order under section 144 has been imposed in Wadi till 25 January.
(With inputs from Meenakshy Sasikumar)
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