On the night of Rang Panchami in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar City, a troubling event unfolded. A Hindu e-rickshaw driver and his friend were attacked by a group of Islamists while they were playing religious songs. This disagreement quickly escalated into a clash between the two communities, prompting the police to step in and use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The incident took place in the 12 Muhaal area of Sadar under Cantt Police Station. A radical Islamist mob confronted the driver and his friend, demanding that they stop playing the song. When they refused, the mob became violent and attacked them. Thankfully, other Hindus intervened to prevent further violence.
Tensions soared when one of the Hindus who intervened was attacked with a sharp weapon. This led to stone-pelting and damage to vehicles. Police rushed to the scene and took action to control the situation, registering three FIRs and beginning efforts to identify and apprehend those involved. So far, 15 individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident.
According to the police, the clash erupted after the auto-rickshaw driver was assaulted by the mob following a dispute. This attracted more people to the scene, exacerbating the violence. Local BJP leaders and Hindu activists have demanded strict action against the attackers, even calling for bulldozer action. BJP MLA Pradeep Laria, who visited the site, characterised the incident as pre-planned. He mentioned that a person named Saurabh was attacked by a large group at his home, resulting in injuries, while others were harmed by stones and bottles. Following the incident, Section 144 was imposed in the area, prohibiting gatherings.
In a similar incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, auto driver Manish was assaulted, and his vehicle was vandalised while he was playing a song dedicated to Lord Sri Ram. This incident occurred near Mahona Sheikh Tola Madrasa, where Manish and his cousin Umesh were attacked. The assailants, who belong to the Muslim community, were identified as Shanu Sabhasad, Danish, Safiq, and Shamim Shaikh.
Similar incident happened in Bengaluru where Mukesh fell victim to an attack by a group of Islamists while playing Hanuman Chalisa and other Hindu devotional songs in his shop, situated near a mosque on Jumma Masjid Road in the Siddanna Galli area.
Mukesh recounted to media, “As usual in the shop, I used to sing bhajans in the evening during the puja. They came to the shop and asked, ‘Why are you playing bhajans during our Azaan time?’ They then proceeded to attack him and initially tried to stop him. First, he took the speaker and hit me on the head. It was as if he had a weapon in his hand. That’s why it hurt so much.”
In response to the appalling attack, Mukesh lodged a formal complaint at Halasuru Gate Police Station, urging authorities to register an FIR. However, reports surfaced indicating a reluctance on the part of the police to initiate the FIR against the accused.
