Citing the occasion of Independence Day, several leftist Islamists had claimed that a Tiranaga Yatra in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna carried out by some Muslims was ‘interrupted’ by the members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal (BD) who later ‘provoked’ the Muslims and forced the nearby market area to shut the shops.
‘Journalist’ Meer Faisal posted the videos of the incident claiming that when Muslims were holding a Tiranga Yatra, the VHP and Bajrang Dal members brought their own Tiranga Yatra in front of them and raised slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ which provoked the Muslims. “The Muslims were provoked, and later When there was a scuffle between the two groups, the workers of the VHP and Bajrang Dal started forcibly closing the market. The shop whose shop was not closed was ransacked and closed by the Bajrang dal and VHP”, he alleged in the tweet.
He further added that the Muslim individuals reached the police station and lodged a complaint. According to Faisal, the police also began reviewing the matter based on the viral videos.
Muslims were taking out the Tiranga Yatra in Madhya Pradesh's Guna when the alleged Bajrang Dal and VHP workers brought the Tiranga Yatra from the front and shouted Jai Shri Ram slogans in the procession being taken out by the Muslims. The Muslims were provoked, and later When… pic.twitter.com/7OPrR85YVu
— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) August 16, 2023
The said tweet was amplified by several Islamists who demanded serious action against the alleged members of VHP and Bajrang Dal who according to them engaged in a scuffle with the participants of the Tiranga Yatra organized by the Muslims in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna.
However, it was discovered that there was no scuffle between the two communities and that no members of VHP and Bajrang Dal were present on the spot when the incident happened. The incident is said to have happened on August 15 but the videos of the incident were posted by the Islamists on August 16.
No scuffle, no VHP or Bajrang Dal members involved; Here’s what actually happened
As per the reports, two Tiranga Yatras were scheduled to be conducted in Guna on the eve of Independence Day, one by Muslims and the other one by the other local Hindus. While the routes of both the scheduled Yatras were different, confusion erupted when some Hindus accidentally joined the Tiranga Yatra organized by Muslims. They thought they had joined the Yatra organized by local Hindus. On realizing this, the Hindus decided to move out of the place but their bikes broke down.
Meanwhile, some of the Muslims approaching on bikes towards the same spot also faced the issue of bikes breaking down. There was no scuffle but the market was made to assume that the two communities had engaged in a fight. Later, some more local Hindus who were conducting another Tiranga Rally in different areas came to know about the incident and reached the spot.
As per the Dainik Bhasker report, several active Muslims and Hindus asked the shopkeepers in the market to shut the shops. The police also immediately reached the spot after being informed about the matter.
Police pacified the matter, no FIR lodged
CSP Shweta Gupta, and PI Anup Bhargav pacified the matter in the market and allowed the members, Muslims and Hindus, to conclude their respective Tiranga rallies. Members from both communities then reached the police station and accused each other of starting the scuffle. Members of both communities were then heard and suggested to maintain peace, to which they agreed. Hence, no FIR in the case has been lodged.
‘No rally was organized by VHP or Bajrang Dal’, confirms VHP
OpIndia meanwhile talked to Rakesh Pandey who is the National Social Media Head of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He confirmed that no member of VHP or Bajrang Dal was involved in the incident as is being claimed by Islamist journalist Meer Faisal.
सर पत्रकरिता छोड़कर झूठ फैलाने का काम शुरू कर दीजिए आज कल विहिप और बजरंग दल के खिलाफ झूठा प्रचार करने वालो को दुकान खूब चलती हैं।
— Rakesh Pandey (@iRakeshPanday) August 17, 2023
जिस यात्रा का ज़िक्र कर रहे हैं उससे न तो @VHPDigital और न ही @BajrangDalOrg का कोई लेना देना हैं।
“There was no such Tiranga Rally organized by the VHP or Bajrang Dal. If there would have been any rally, official permission would have been taken. Nothing of this sort happened. VHP and Bajrang Dal have nothing to do with this incident,” Pandey said.
On asking about the claims made by ‘journalist’ on social media, Pandey said that it has now become fashionable to defame VHP and Bajrang Dal. “This is sheer propaganda which is being run by the Islamists. They only know to spread lies. People like these should stop calling themselves as journalists,” he added.
