In Darbhanga, Bihar, a group of Islamic fundamentalists attacked the procession carrying Maa Saraswati’s idol for immersion. According to reports, the Hindu procession that was scheduled to immerse the idol at 5 pm on Thursday (15th February) was proceeding as planned. On the way, a conservative Islamic mob halted the procession and pelted them with stones. A large number of persons suffered injuries shortly after. Islamic radicals are also said to have demolished the idol of Mother Saraswati.
Apart from that information on acid attacks also came to light in addition to stone pelting directed against Hindus. Several persons are said to have sustained injuries in this attack, including police officers. Following the incident, a considerable number of police units, including the DM and SSP, arrived on the scene and managed to bring the situation under control. Now, a major revelation has emerged regarding this incident, indicating that Islamic fanatics attacked Hindus with considerable planning.
According to reports, the incident occurred in Muria near Bhalpatti OP police station, where extremists from Butcher Mohalla in Hatgachi attacked Hindus. Faizan, Mahtab Alam, Abdul Barik, Mohammad Abdullah, and Amjad were reportedly a part of a mob that attacked Hindus. OpIndia has a copy of the FIR of this incident, which contains specific details about the conspiracy hatched by the fanatics. According to police, 14 rioters have been arrested so far, and others involved are being tracked down.
Was the attack planned using WhatsApp group?
According to the FIR, a procession was held on February 15, 2024, to immerse Maa Saraswati idols established in Tali Gumti and Muria. This procession was leaving Hatgachi and heading to Jeevach Ghat. Around 5 pm, Islamic fundamentalists gathered and halted the procession in Hatgachi. They began pelting stones at the procession. Following the incident, senior officials arrived at the scene and managed to control the mob violence. Several people were detained, including one named Mohammad Faizan. His WhatsApp details revealed that a group with the name ‘Islam Zindabad’ was newly created. There are seven administrators in this group. During the examination of this WhatsApp group, the police discovered that the Islamists had planned the event.
After this entire incident, the police registered a case against 61 identified persons, 7 mobile numbers (administrators of WhatsApp group), and 150 unknown people for obstruction, stone pelting, disrupting law and order, inciting communal riots, disturbing social harmony, and attacking police and administration. The sections imposed are 147, 148, 149, 341, 323, 324, 325, 307, 332, 333, 353, 427, 153(A), 295(A), 120 of the IPC. The investigation of this case has been handed over to Dhruv Kumar Chaudhary.
14 arrested for attacking the procession
Police said that so far 14 people have been arrested identified as Alauddin (age 40 years), Mohammad Sartaj (age 45 years), Mohammad Alauddin (age 40 years), Mohammad Sameer (age 20 years), and Mohammad Tabrez. (Age 25 years), Mohammad Parvez (Age 25 years), Mohammad Nizam (Age 22 years), Mohammad Naseem (Age 35 years), Mohammad Nausad (Age 40 years), Rehman Qureshi (Age 28 years), Mohammad Abdullah (Age 21 years), Mohammad Faizan (aged 20), Abdul Barik (aged 45) and Mohammad Mahtab (aged 23).
It is worth noting that two tractors were already blocked at the idol immersion path in Kasai Tola, where the Hindu procession was attacked, but at 5 pm, a crowd of Islamic extremists arrived again. As soon as the stone pelting began, there was a panic, and people fled from the idol. During this particular event, the Saraswati idol was also broken, which annoyed the crowd. Following this, the mob vandalized residences and shops.
Speaking to OpIndia, Prince Kumar Yadav, posted at Bhalpatti police station, said, “There was sudden tension due to the change in the route of the yatra. The procession was passing through Kasai locality when stone pelting started.” When asked whether the yatra was passing through any mosque, he categorically denied this. He said, “People had not reached near the mosque, yet the attack took place.”
