Days after a Muslim mob attacked the police in Gujarat’s Junagadh, it has come to the fore that the mob deliberately launched the attack on June 16 and that the violence was totally pre-planned.
On Friday, June 16, an Islamist mob attacked the police in the Junagadh district of Gujarat after they saw a notice regarding illegal encroachment on the walls of a dargah in the city. The Muslims attacked with stones and created massive violence injuring four policemen and a Hindu civilian. The stones were reportedly pelted at the police vehicles and an ST bus after which an FIR was filed against 31 persons in this case.
During the investigation, the police stated that the violence was a premeditated conspiracy as the violence erupted minutes after the police asked the mob to adopt the legal way of putting up their point instead of gathering illegally. According to Divya Bhaskar’s report, the information that this illegal shrine is going to get a notice was leaked by someone from the Municipal Corporation itself. After this, the rioters filled a truck-dumper with stones and also collected the sticks and sharp weapons. Also, preparations for the attack were made by calling a large number of violent elements of the Muslim society from outside.
The female police officer in the complaint said that around 8:30 pm on the night of June 16, there was a message in the social media group of the division police station, and the officers and employees were asked to immediately report to the PI at Majewadi Dargah. The police reached the spot to see that a crowd of 500 to 600 men and women had gathered against the notice about illegal encroachment pasted on the wall of the Dargah in the region.
According to the FIR, the police officers who reached the spot asked the mob to adopt a legal way of putting up their point instead of gathering illegally. The crowd then got agitated and the men and women shouted slogans and attacked the police.
The Police during the investigation also said that while the notice was being processed before it reached around 8 religious places including Dargah and Temple, a worker from the corporation sent a message that the notice has been prepared in the matter of Dargah. The message is said to have hinted and incited the mob to gather in the area around Dargah.
This dargah outside which the violenc happened is located near Majewadi Gate. The area is clean and usually no garbage or stones are seen around the area. On the day when the corporation officials were supposed to arrive at the dargah to issue notice, there is no chance that a whole truck full of stones would be pelted at the police in this manner. Moreover, the truck was placed in such a corner which no CCTV could capture.
Junagadh DySP Hatesh Dhandalia confirmed the incident and said, “People from outside area had also gathered. The stones and weapons were ready. Everything just happened within minutes. All these things make it clear that the incident was a premeditated conspiracy.”
As per the FIR copy registered in the case, the agitated Muslim mob raised slogans of ‘Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar’ and also said ‘burn everything’, ‘police ko maro (hit the police)’, ‘Koi Jinda Nahi Bachna Chahiye (no one shall be spared alive)’. Some of the Muslims could also be heard saying, “If we kill the police, no one will come our way.” The mob then began pelting stones at the police vans and also attacked some of the private vehicles.
Some torched motorcycles parked near the dargah and also pelted stones at vehicles and pedestrians passing by. Besides, the mob also pelted stones at an ST bus and broke the glass of the bus with sticks. Four policemen and a Hindu civilian have been reported as injured. The injured were immediately shifted to the hospital where the Hindu individual is said to have died during the treatment.
Around 31 people have been booked in the case. Further investigations are underway.
