On Wednesday, Godda’s BJP MP Nishikant Dubey filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Jharkhand High Court against the imposition of Section 144 in Deoghar and the change in the route of Shiv Baraat ahead of the Mahashivratri festival. Dubey in the petition stated that the district administration had arbitrarily decided to change the route without the consent of the Shivratri Festival Committee formed to organize the procession.
According to the reports, the petition states that the tradition of taking out the Shiva procession in Deoghar is very old and that a committee was formed in the year 1994 to look into the execution of the procession, aka Shiv Baraat. It is a committee that decides the route of the procession, however, this year the district administration has decided to change the route without committee’s consent, Dubey said.
He also added that the route decided by the district administration is narrow and there will be difficulty in taking out the Shiva procession. According to the BJP MP, usually, other routes of the districts are changed for a day owing to this cultural tradition, but this time the route of Shiv Baraat has been changed which can be problematic for the participants.
Dubey, in the petition also alleged that the action taken by the district administration is deliberate and that the latter has hurt the religious sentiments of devotees by changing the prescribed route. “This is a dictatorial attitude. The faith of the devotees is being played with. This hurts religious sentiments of devotees,” the petition reads as it asks the Court to intervene in the matter.
“Deoghar SDO has invoked section 144. No clear reason has been given for this. According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, prohibitive orders cannot be issued until it is proven that there is a chance that the peace in the designated region will be disturbed. However, the district administration passed the aforementioned order out of bias, and it has to be revoked”, the petition stated.
Notably, this comes a day after the violence erupted in the Palamu district of Jharkhand ahead of Mahashivratri celebrations. As reported, stones were pelted at devotees preparing to worship at the mosque square of the district. Some vehicles were also set on fire. Petrol bombs were also used in the attack. So far, about a dozen people are said to be injured, including 6 policemen. A heavy police force has been deployed to take care of the situation, section 144 has been imposed in the area and also the internet has been closed as a precautionary measure.
Reports mention that the current PIL has been filed by Dubey and Abhishek Anand Jha, the chairman of the Shivratri Festival Committee. The duo stated that they would stage a protest if the Jharkhand government fails to change its attitude. The court is likely to hear the case on February 16.
