Pictures from the Junagarh Violence site, (Image: IBC 27)
A Friday Frenzy mob attacked police officials and vandalised public property on receiving orders to demolish an illegal dargah from the road in Gujarat’s Junagarh district. The mob attacked police officials, vandalised police vans, set ablaze their patrolling vehicles and a bus.
One person was killed during the clashes that erupted in Gujarat’s Junagadh district over a demolition notice to a dargah, which was declared an illegal encroachment by a team of civic body officials. Around 200-300 people gathered around the dargah on Friday evening, and the situation soon escalated into violence involving stone-pelting and vandalization. As the violence unfolded further, large troops of police officials rushed to the area. 174 people in the mob were detained by the officials. Three policemen, including the Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured during the violence.
The attack took place on the night of June 16, with a large group of people pelting stones at police personnel after civic body officials served notice to a dargah to present documents or face removal of alleged encroachment, police said on June 17.
The video of the incident shows 200-300 people around the religious structure, protesting against the demolition. They can be heard shouting and throwing stones at police vehicles.
“A civilian has died prima facie due to stone pelting but it will be clear after the postmortem report. Further investigation is underway,” Ravi Teja Vasamsetty, SP Junagadh told ANI.
Notably, the Junagadh Municipal Corporation served a notice to the Dargah asking for presenting its documents within five days. The officials gave a deadline of five days to produce evidence that the dargah was built in a legal manner or else it would be demolished, adding that if the demolition happened then the management would have to bear the cost of it.
Angered by the alleged anti-encroachment drive, 500-600 people gathered around the dargah situated near the Majewadi Gate and pelted stones at police officials, vandalised property and set police vehicles on fire.
A number of police officers were injured after the mob turned violent and started pelting stones. The Majewadi police station was also under the target of miscreants who pelted stones on a bus and later set a government vehicle on fire. As many as four police vehicles were damaged. Around 170 people were rounded up in connection with the violence by the police.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Junagadh, Ravi Teja Vasamsetty told ANI, “A mosque near Majewadi Gate was given notice by the Junagadh Municipal Corporation to present documents within five days. Around 500-600 people gathered there yesterday. The police were trying to convince protestors not to block the road.”
“Stones were pelted at around 10.15 pm and people attacked police. A Lathicharge was conducted by police to disperse the crowd. Some police personnel got injured in this incident. We have detained as many as 174 people. A civilian has died prima facie due to stone pelting but it will be clear after a postmortem report. Further investigation is underway,” the SP said.
The visuals from the ground shared on social media are filled with violent activities and ruckus. Among the miscreants pelting stones, there are some minors as well.
Visuals from the site received this morning are disturbing as charred vehicles are lying here and there, a heavy police force if deployed in the region. News agency ANI shared the clip from the site, “Visuals from near Majewadi Gate in Junagadh, where police and mob clashed last night during an anti-encroachment drive over an illegal Dargah,” the video can be seen here.
This is not the first time that ‘Friday Frenzy’ mob has targeted innocents and vandalised public property, there is a list of such incidents.
The most recent incident happened in March 2023 when Islamists pelted stones following ‘Jamma Namaz’ in West bengal’s Howrah after the Ram Navami procession. After the violence the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, the procession took an unauthorised route “to particularly target and attack one community”.
On June 3 2022, an Islamist mob in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, went on a rampage, pelting stones against ‘Kafir’ Hindus. The irate mob went on a rampage because they were “protesting” against the statement by now sacked BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
The visuals from the Kanpur violence that emerged showed a mob of Muslims pelting stones with all their might. At least 40 people, including 20 police personnel, were injured during the clashes. The police had arrested 38 people in connection with the case.
In April 2022, after the Alvida Juma, or the last Friday prayers during the Ramzan, at the Jama Masjid in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, a large number of Muslim youths protested on the street, reportedly against the state government’s guideline to not offer namaz on roads. They continued sloganeering for more than half an hour, blocking the road completely. Repeated chants of Allahu-Akbar were heard in the videos.
In April 2022, 13 people were arrested on charges of sedition over raising “azadi” slogans and anti-national slogans at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid after Friday prayers. Jammu and Kashmir charged them under sections 124A (sedition), and 447 and 120 B (criminal conspiracy). and other sections.
In November 2021, massive anti-Hindu violence broke out in different districts of Maharashtra after Friday prayers. The Mumbai-based Islamist organization Raza Academy had called for the protest.
During the Delhi riots in 2020, there was an image of a mosque in Northeast Delhi where bricks and stones were clearly seen lying around on the roof.
The infamous Muzaffarnagar riots that took place in 2013 saw some similar patterns. To check the tide of communal tension, local officials banned public meetings. But, politicians from across parties were determined to exploit the tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and delivered calls-to-action.
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