Following the February 15th incident in Palamu, Jharkhand, in which a Muslim mob engaged in violence over the installation of welcome gates by Hindus ahead of Mahashivaratri, section 144 was imposed in the area and the internet has been shut down. Under the supervision of Inspector General (Palamu range) Raj Kumar Lakra, paramilitary forces and Palamu district police held a flag march in riot-affected Panki town in Jharkhand to instil confidence in the people, and the situation in the town, albeit tense, is now well under control.
SP Chandan Sinha said that the Police have registered two separate FIRs, in this case, naming around 100 identified people and around 1000 unknown people. Police have so far arrested 13 of them. The SP added that the internet service will remain suspended in the area for the time being.
The police have imposed severe restrictions on the number of people who can visit the temple and the mosque in the area for Mahashivaratri on Saturday and Namaaz on Friday. Only 4 persons are allowed in the mosque for the Friday prayers, and similarly, only 5 persons including one priest will be allowed in the temple for Shivaratri.
Muslims attempt to obstruct Hindu festivals under various pretexts: Local Hindus in Palamu speak about their plight
In response to the incident on February 15th, local Hindus stated that attacks on them by members of the Muslim community are extremely common in their area. Locals complained that they are never permitted to celebrate their festivities peacefully. Furthermore, whenever Hindus organise weddings or other functions in the vicinity, the Muslim side constantly causes a commotion under one pretext or another.
The locals said that in this particular incident as well, the Muslims created a nuisance over the installation of welcome gates under the pretext that it was being installed in front of the mosque. The Muslim mob not only pelted stones from the mosques but went to the extent of committing arson.
Palamu SP Chandan Sinha stated that for Shivratri, members of the Shivratri committee proceeded to make an archway in front of the mosque. Every year, the archway is built at a different location. This year, the archway was installed in front of the mosque, without the authorisation of the administration or the police station. Muslims were outraged. Following this, there was a conflict.
The attack was planned over a month
According to information acquired by OpIndia, the February 15th violence was not a spontaneous act, but rather a well-planned attack that had been schemed for months. It is being said that an old Hanuman Mandir situated at a distance of about 150-200 meters from the mosque is the prime cause behind the recent spate of violence.
According to local Hindus, bhajans and aartis were previously held every Tuesday at the Hanuman temple, however, the administration suddenly stopped devotees from performing them inside of the temple.
Muslims took objection to bhajan-aarti being performed in Mandirs but Namaz continued to blare from loudspeakers installed in the mosque
Locals say a loudspeaker was placed at the temple around a month ago to play bhajans. People associated with the mosque were outraged at this. The mosque committee began protesting and complaining to the local police about it. The temple’s loudspeaker was eventually removed, but Azaan continued to blare from loudspeakers installed in the mosque.
Local Hindus stated that Hindus in the region are being harassed at the behest of Abu Hasan, the leader of the mosque committee, and chief Nehal Ansari. Lamenting how the police and administration favour the Muslim community, they stated that Muslims in the neighbourhood frequently approach the police and complain about not being able to offer Namaz due to the Bhajan and Aarti being performed in the Hanuman Temple, and the police respond by taking action against the Hindus, but whenever the Hindu side complains, they are only summoned to the police station and humiliated and mistreated.
The local Hindus further recalled that prior to the Palamu incident, in which Muslims engaged in violence over the building of ‘toran dwar’ (welcome gates) by Hindus ahead of Mahashivratri, a message was being circulated by the Muslim side to gather at the mosque on Friday for the Juma Namaz. The Hindus, who live in constant fear of retribution at the hands of the Muslim community, became wary as soon as they learned of the message being spread.
Local Hindus claim that they were stoned from the mosque across the archway. In addition, petrol bombs were thrown. Only the Muslim side set fire to the building. According to locals, the Muslim side set fire to the property assuming it belonged to Hindus. According to these sources, approximately 20 Hindus have been injured in this assault.
Hindus being singled out and targetted
On the condition of anonymity, a local stated that the state administration supports the Muslims in the area, which is why Hindus are being picked out and attacked, and the police are taking unilateral action against Hindus in the incident. “Hindus have been singled out and named in the FIR. The names of those Hindus, who were not even in the city at the time of the occurrence, are also included in the FIR,” a local Hindu stated.
The arrested persons include Nehal Ansari, Mobin Ansari, Mehboob Alam, Shahzad Alam, Zahid Ansari, Karan Kumar Singh, Roshan Kumar, Sumit Singh, Deepak Kumar Gupta, Ritesh Kumar Singh, Dhananjay Kumar Bhuiyan, Madan Ram, and Rajiullah Ansari. Among them, Nehal is a former head of Panki Paschim Panchayat.
Muslims play the victim
Notably, on February 15th, 2023, the Muslim mob not only pelted stones from the mosques but committed arson. After indulging in violence against Hindus, Muslims started playing the victim.
After the violence against Hindus, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi proceeded to dog whistle and paint the perpetrators as the victims. “Stones were hurled at the mosque and two houses and some vehicles were burnt”, he said. However, in reality, it was a Hindu who was first hit in the head and then stone pelting took place from the mosque.
Asaduddin Owaisi didn’t stop here. He said that the welcome gate should not have been built in front of the mosque. He blamed the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for it, saying the rioters and the Sangh Parivar won. Interestingly, while the blamed the victims, the Hindus, he also justified the violence by the Muslim mob by saying that the Mahashivratri celebrations should not have taken place in front of the mosque.
In the kind of narrative being created about the Palamu violence, an attempt is being made to prove Muslims as victims, and Hindus – who are actually victims – as goons. It is being clearly said in the media report that Hindus of Panki in Palamu were preparing for Mahashivratri. During this time they built a welcome gate on the square. The mosque is located near the square.
Locals say that this mosque, known as Jama Masjid, has been built with the help of Hindus. Locals say that this mosque is not very old nor is there much of a population of Muslims in the surrounding area. The area where the mosque has been built is Hindu-dominated.
After the construction of the welcome gate, some Muslims came out of the mosque and asked to dismantle this gate. They said that there is a mosque nearby and a welcome gate can not be built near the mosque. The Hindu side did not agree to this and said that they are building the welcome gates on the road, which is government property.
