Days after the Madhya Pradesh government demolished the houses of rioters who pelted stones at Ram Navami processions in Khargone city, members of the Muslim community were seen showering petals on Hindu devotees during the Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday (April 16).
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Muslim men wearing skull caps were seen showering flowers on the Hanuman ‘Shobha Yatra’, which passed through the narrow lanes of Bhopal.
#WATCH Madhya Pradesh | People from the Muslim community shower flower petals on devotees during the Hanuman Jayanti procession in Bhopal yesterday pic.twitter.com/3d3riqgo22
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) April 17, 2022
While speaking about the development, one Zuber Khan remarked, “We are here to welcome our Hindu brothers on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. Bhopal is known for its harmony and brotherhood and we will not let anyone to disrupt it.”
Another Muslim man named Sajid Khan claimed, “This is the Ganga-Yamuna culture where Hindus-Muslims live together and help each other in Bhopal. We have come here to show the real culture of Bhopal.”
Police cancel permission for the Hanuman Jayanti procession in the old city of Bhopal
The Bhopal Police on Saturday (April 16) cancelled the permission granted for the Hanuman Jayanti procession in the old city of Bhopal, citing security reasons. The cops said that the procession could pass through parts of the city other than the old city area of Bhopal.
The decision had come after a delegation of Muslim clerics led by Qazi Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadwi met DGP Sudhir Saxena and Home Minister Narottam Mishra. The clerics in the city raised concerns over the permission granted for the Hanuman Jayanti procession. They said that conducting procession in the Muslims-dominated localities would be fraught with danger.
According to the reports, the vice-president of Jai Maa Bhavani Hindu Sangathan (JMBHS), Naveen Khare, had sought permission to initiate the Hanuman Jayanti procession from the Khedapati Hanuman Temple. As per the rituals, the procession was supposed to pass through the old city of Bhopal and other parts of the city.
Riots in Khargone and razing down of houses of rioters
On April 10, a Ram Navmi procession in the Khargone area of Madhya Pradesh was attacked by Islamists which led to communal riots disrupting peace in the state. Stones were pelted at the procession that began in the Talab Chowk area of Khargone.
Riots escalated after several vehicles and shops were set on fire. The cops struggled to pacify the situation and fired tear gas shells to disperse the violent crowd. During the violence, a total of 24 people were injured, including six police personnel.
On April 14, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced financial assistance to the people who lost their homes in the Khargone riots. He said that the stone pelters and the rioters will be greeted with bulldozers and will have to pay the price for damaging the properties in the state.
मध्यप्रदेश: खरगोन में रामनवमी की शोभायात्रा पर जिन्होंने पथराव किया था पुलिस ने उन आरोपियों के घरों पर बुलडोजर चलाया pic.twitter.com/q4GS4AMHa2
— Newsroom Post (@NewsroomPostCom) April 11, 2022
“The state government will rebuild the burnt properties and will help the victims financially. But I will not spare the rioters. The cost of reconstruction of the burnt homes will be recovered from them. They will be greeted with bulldozers, not flowers”, he affirmed while addressing the crowd on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.
The Madhya Pradesh government demolished the properties of the stone pelters. “In Madhya Pradesh, we have passed the Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property and Recovery of Damage Bill. The rioters of Khargone will not only be punished but also the damages will be recovered from them. The state government is setting up a claims tribunal for this,” he had announced.
