At least three VHP leaders were allegedly arrested by the Mumbai Police in Malwani on Friday. It is alleged that they were arrested for putting up posters of Ram Mandir Nidhi Sankalan Abhiyan, a mass contact and contribution campaign for the construction of a Bhavya & Divya mandir at the birthplace of Bhagwan Shri Ramlalla in Ayodhya and then, filming while Mumbai police allegedly tore posters of Lord Shri Ram.
A VHP leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the incident took place late evening on Friday when some VHP workers were returning home after campaigning for a donation drive for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The VHP workers allegedly saw police officials removing the Ram Mandir Nidhi Sankalan posters and tearing them apart. Some VHP workers started recording the incident on their mobile phones. Realising that their act is being recorded on the mobile phone, one of the police officers accosted the VHP workers and purportedly started beating them.
Here is how @MumbaiPolice tore Prabhu Shri Ram ji poster hanged to promote #AyodhyaRamMandir Nidhi Sankalan Abhiyan. Brave @VHPDigital workers staged protests well within police station to secure release of arrested workers, time to legally corner guilty ACP/DCP n their handlers+ pic.twitter.com/5NZbmqqI2t
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) January 16, 2021
When questioned why the posters were being removed, the police officers reportedly said the posters were controversial in nature and hurt the sentiments of the locals. He also added that he had orders from above to get the Ram Mandir Nidhi Sankalan posters removed. It is pertinent to note that Malwani is a Muslim-dominated region in Mumbai.
The 3 VHP workers were detained on the charges of obstructing and preventing the police from doing their duty. Following their arrest, RSS, VHP, and BJP leaders sat on a sit-in vigil in the police station in opposition to their detention. The leaders demanded that the three VHP workers be immediately released.
Subsequently, at around 4 AM, the ACP came and released the three VHP workers and promised to drop all charges against them. He assured appropriate action will be taken against the police officer who allegedly tore apart the Ram Mandir Nidhi Sankalan poster. The ACP also promised action in drug and addiction case in which a Dalit Rights body had written a letter to NCPCR seeking action in the case.
BJP Mumbai President Mangal Prabhat Lodha took cognisance of the incident and posted a tweet sounding an alarm about the worsening situation in Malwani. He stated that putting up posters of Lord Shri Ram has become a crime in this region and informed on Twitter that he would soon meet the Police Commissioner to have a discussion about the incident.
मालवणी की परिस्थिति आए दिन गंभीर होती नजर आ रही है। यहां पर प्रभु श्रीराम के पोस्टर लगाना मानो अपराध सा माना जा रहा हैं।
— Mangal Prabhat Lodha (@MPLodha) January 16, 2021
कल मालवणी पुलिस ने विश्व हिंदू परिषद के कुछ कार्यकर्ताओं को हिरासत में लिया था, पोस्टर भी फाड़ दिए थे।
इस विषय को लेकर जल्द ही पुलिस कमिश्नर से मुलाकात करूंगा। pic.twitter.com/Jx73ktCgTE
It is noteworthy to mention that VHP, RSS and BJP workers have alleged that while there have been numerous complaints made by the residents of the region against the illegal loudspeaker on the mosques in the neighbourhood but no action has been taken in this regard. However, when posters of Lord Shri Ram were put up at the places, seeking donation for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the police officials displayed unusual alacrity in removing them.
Dalit Rights body writes to NCPCR seeking intervention in alleged drug and porn addiction case in Malwani
Dalit Positive Movement, a Dalit and OBC Rights initiative, had written a letter to National Commission for Protection of Children Rights (NCPCR) seeking immediate intervention in the alleged forced drug and porn addiction of Dalit children by goons in the restive region of Mumbai’s Malwani.
The Dalit Rights body had alleged that local goons under the aegis of local Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh are pushing the Dalit children into the abyss of drug and pornography addiction. It had also stated in its complaint that names of BJP leaders Gopal Shetty and Ashish Shelar are being misused by the goons to suppress resistance from Dalit families in the region.
Muslim goons in Malwani encroaching upon lands and houses of Hindus, including Dalits
Besides the scourge of drug and pornography addiction, the Hindu minority is in Mumbai’s Malwani, a Muslim majority region, also live under a constant threat and intimidation by the Muslim hooligans, who illegally encroach their homes and force them into fleeing the region. From once having more than 100 Hindu families, the locality now houses a mere 8-10 Hindu families and even they are planning to leave the area for the fear of persecution from the Muslim thugs.
