Holi celebrations in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh took a communal turn when some members of a ‘particular community’ took offence to DJ music being played by Hindus as part of the festival’s celebrations. The incident took place on March 18, Friday.
Two people namely Adesh and Bunty were reportedly injured in the stone-pelting incident. The video of the incident has now gone viral on Twitter. In the video, many Muslims can be seen pelting stones from the roofs of two adjacent buildings. The stones are being aimed at a building in the opposite direction which cannot be seen in the video. At least from the video, the attack seems one-sided, as no stone can be seen coming from the other side.
Radicals pelted stones on the Hindus dancing to the song made on #CMYogi while celebrating #Holi, in Mohalla Chhanga Darwaza of Amroha UP.
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) March 18, 2022
Many injured and admitted to district hospital. pic.twitter.com/XDj0i7PZZO
In response, Amroha police took to Twitter to share the news that they have arrested 3 people under relevant sections of the IPC. It also said that other accused are being identified on the basis of the video.
प्रकरण के सम्बन्ध में थाना अमरोहा नगर पर सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत कर मौके से 03 अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार किये गये है । वीडियो के आधार पर अन्य अभियुक्तों की पहचान की जा रही है ।
— Amroha Police (@amrohapolice) March 18, 2022
According to reports, the incident occurred on March 18, Friday in Mohalla Chhanga Darwaza of the Amroha Kotwali area in Uttar Pradesh. This area in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh has a mixed population. The Hindu community has a temple and a Dharamsala here. A mosque is only a short distance away.
Since Holi celebrations fell on a Friday this year and also happened to coincide with the Muslim festival Shab-e-Barat, a few people belonging to the Hindu community were celebrating Holi amongst themselves, while some Muslims reached the nearby Mosque to read Namaz. DJ music was playing in the background. The Namazis objected to the music played during Holi celebrations. These Namazis, who themselves always use loudspeakers in Mosques while offering azaan, asked Hindus celebrating Holi, a once-a-year festival, to turn off the music.
An argument ensued between the two sides after the Hindus refused to turn off the music. Within no time, the situation deteriorated and a fight broke out. Soon afterwards, the enraged Muslims got onto the roofs of two buildings and started to pelt stones, leaving at least two injured.
A video of the stone-pelting incident was shared on social media and quickly went viral. The cops arrived on time and quickly took control of the situation. To prevent any further untoward incidents, a large amount of force was deployed on the scene. The situation in the area is said to be calm at the moment.
Muslims take offence to songs on Uttar Pradesh CM’s return clash with people celebrating Holi
Another video of Amroha violence. People from the peaceful community, pelting stones on the people dancing to the song of Yogiji, in Mohalla Chhanga Darwaza. Many injured and admitted to district hospitals.
— P!YU$H S (@SpeaksKshatriya) March 18, 2022
CC : @myogiadityanath @amrohapolice pic.twitter.com/7Lb7aWcwVl
Interestingly, another video from the same day and same place has also been doing rounds on the social media platforms, where people of the Muslim community are seen engaging in a fight with people playing Holi on the street. According to social media users, these Muslims were irked since the celebrators had been playing songs on Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s return.
