On 30th March 2023, Ram Navami processions in Gujarat’s Vadodara were attacked by local Islamists. Two Shobha Yatra processions of Lord Ram were attacked with stones on the same day while passing through a Muslim-dominated area.
It has come to the fore that when the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) were trying to bring the situation under control, attempts were made to snatch their rifles. On Tuesday, April 11, Gujarat Police arrested one Abdul Rashid Sattar Shaikh in connection with the matter.
वडोदरा :
— Janak Dave (@dave_janak) April 12, 2023
रामनवमी की शोभायात्रा पर पथराव के बाद पुलिस जवान पर हमला करके रायफल छीनने की कोशिश करनेवाले अब्दुल रशीद शेख को गिरफ्तार किया गया. pic.twitter.com/hvsvzyKSV2
The accused have been identified through CCTV footage of the incident.
Warasiya police said in a release on Wednesday that it had reconstructed the crime scene after a local court granted the accused one-day remand of the accused in police custody.
The action comes after SRPF constable Himmatsinh Baria lodged a complaint on April 1. In his complaint, Baria stated that the said incident took place on the evening of March 30 when the SRPF was deployed for ‘bandobast’ during Ram Navami celebrations.
Warasiya Police Inspector Ashok Mori said that on March 30, at around 5:45 p.m., the complainant was on Bandobast duty close to Kumbharwada when three people, identified as Abdul Rashid Sattar Shaikh, Bittu Rafiq Bengali, and Mohseen, all residents of the Fatepura area, tried to prevent the complainant from executing his duty and tried to snatch the government-issued duty rifle in a scuffle with the complainant.
Inspector Mori added that before fleeing the scene, the accused slapped the SRPF personnel.
On Wednesday, the accused Shaikh was remanded to judicial custody. All three accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for robbery (393), assault or criminal force to prevent or deter a public servant from performing his duty (353), voluntarily causing harm to a public servant in the discharge of his duty (332), voluntarily obstructing a public servant in the performance of his public functions (186), and crime committed in the presence of abettor (114).
