The National capital’s Jahangirpuri area was marred with violence on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti when a mob of fanatics pelted stones and fired shots at Hindu Devotees taking out the Shobha Yatra to mark the occasion. Several Hindu devotees and police personnel were injured during the course of the attack.
One of the Hindu devotees named Umashankar Dubey, who was amongst those injured in the brutal attack, spoke to Aaj Tak and described the ferocity exhibited by the Islamist mob.
The rampaging mob hit Umashankar Dubey, who was leading the Shobha Yatra, with a sword on his neck, leaving him critically injured. He is currently undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital.
Speaking to Aaj Tak, Umashankar said that the riots began at around 5:30 pm on April 16, 2022. Intially, a mob of 70-80 fanatics began protesting. Within minutes, the crowd started to swell, recalled Umashankar, adding that before people in the procession could even realize it, a volley of stones and bottles began to rain down from the roofs of nearby houses.
Umashankar stated that Ansar was present in front of the mosque in C block with 60-70 people at the time. Ansar told his aides not to spare anyone taking part in the procession.
He further added, “I told Ansar that these people are unarmed and that he should not harm them, but Ansar retaliated by saying that they will have to pay for what they did”. The victim stated that Ansar was talking about a three-month-old incident in which Ansar threatened Bajrang Dal workers at a Hanuman Chalisa recitation event. Ansar then threatened the Bajrang Dal workers with dire consequences if they did not stop such activities.
Umashankar added how the names of Munna Bengali, Arif, Rafi, and Alam were mentioned during the violence. He added that most of the rioters were Bengali Muslims.
It may be recalled that the owners of small shops in the Jahangirpuri area, who were also targeted in the violence that followed the stone-pelting, had also claimed that the Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims were responsible for the crimes that took place in the area. The shop owners said that they are fed up with the criminal activities of the Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims who are living in the surrounding area.
Recalling the horror, Umashankar further said that the Islamists had struck him on his neck with a sword, that left him soaked in blood and writhing in pain. The police present there had rescued him and pulled him into their van, but Umashankar got down again to rescue his fellow devotees. “I took my workers from the back alley to save them from the rabid Islamists, but we were greeted with a volley of stones and chemical filled bottles,” said Umashankar recalling how the Islamists had attacked them during the violence.
The matter de-escalated only after the police arrived, said Umashankar, while lying on the hospital bed.
Earlier in the day, OpIndia had spoken to locals regarding the violence. H Block resident Dinesh told OpIndia that such incidents were not new for Jahangirpuri.
He said there had been several major incidents in the area that were not even discussed in the media. He mentioned how young boys are seen harassing women. He claimed several Hindu women have been raped in the area and when they try to file a complaint, the Police starts harassing them. He further claimed that a woman in Jahangirpuri was raped for 15 days some time ago. He further added that Hindus never disturb the Muslims during their Muharram processions and every year Muharram processions happen without any incident.
Dinesh termed the stone-pelting incident on Hindu devotees a conspiracy and said Police personnel have been beaten up several times in Jahangirpuri. He added that even small children carry knives and commit crimes in the area.
Jahangirpuri riots
On April 16, Islamists attacked Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. Several people were injured, including police personnel. So far, 40 people have been arrested by the Police in the case, including prime accused Ansar and Aslam. There have been allegations that Ansar is an Aam Aadmi Party member, and the party is yet to respond to the same.
