Following incidents of stone-pelting at a Ganesha pandal in Surat, tensions mounted in Bharuch when Hindus and Muslims came face to face after members of the Muslim community forcefully installed Islamic flags and pylons atop Hindu houses during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration.
The entire incident unfolded on the night of September 10 in the Gokulnagar area, which is home to both Hindu and Muslim communities. While the Hindu festival of Ganeshotsav is currently being celebrated, the Muslim festival of Eid is also approaching. During this time, some Muslims began to install their religious flags and pylons in anticipation of Eid.
Despite requests from Hindus to avoid installing Islamic flags and pylons atop their homes, their appeals were ignored, and the Muslims continued with the installation. This led to a confrontation, resulting in clashes between the two communities, with reports of stone pelting and violence emerging from the brawl.
Meanwhile, upon learning about the incident, Bharuch Superintendent of Police Mayursinh Chawda arrived at the scene. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, he summoned a team of officials including the Headquarters DySP, LCB, SOG, Taluka Police PI, and PSI.
Two individuals, who were injured during the altercation were quickly shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The police dispersed the crowd and restored order.
Those involved in the incident were identified and detained. The authorities initiated legal action against the accused, and an investigation is ongoing.
Enhanced security measures have been put in place at the location of the incident.
Bharuch’s Superintendent of Police has urged locals to refrain from spreading rumours.
Bharuch, Gujarat: A dispute arose between two communities over hoisting a flag during a religious festival, leading to tension in the area. The incident occurred within the Bharuch B Division Police Station area. SP Mayur Chavda along with other police officers and the LCB (… pic.twitter.com/7Y74eYvc0D
— IANS (@ians_india) September 11, 2024
SP Mayursinh Chawda informed the media that around 10 to 11 pm., the police control room received reports of two groups clashing in Bharuch City’s B Division. The information about the religious flag issue prompted a swift response from all available police forces, including B Division Police, LCB, SOG, and DYSP. The mob was successfully dispersed.
ભરૂચના પશ્ચિમ વિસ્તારના ગોકુલ નગરમાં થઈ મારામારી
— DD News Gujarati (@DDNewsGujarati) September 11, 2024
ઘટનાના CCTV પોલીસે ચેક કરી હુમલો કરનારાઓને ઘરમાંથી શોધીને ડીટેઇન કર્યા
ઘટનામાં ખોટી અફવાઓથી લોકોએ દૂર રહેવા અને ફોટા,મેસેજ પસાર કર્યા તો પોલીસ કાયદેસર કાર્યવાહી કરશે: ભરૂચ S.P મયુરસિંહ ચાવડા#bharuch pic.twitter.com/kRsETVdW2v
SP Chawda also mentioned that action is being taken based on CCTV footage and media recordings of the incident. He urged the public to avoid provoking others and to report any issues to the police immediately.
6 Muslim minors planned to pelt stones on 10 Ganesh pandals daily in Gujarat
Earlier, on the night of Sunday, September 8, stones were pelted at the Ganesh pandal in the Syedpura area of Surat. In a shocking revelation, it emerged that a gang of 6 minor Muslim youths were behind the stone pelting. The mastermind of this gang had planned to attack 10 Ganesh Pandals daily. The police investigation also revealed that the leader of the gang of Muslim minors had been receiving ‘madarsa training’ for the past three months.
The police investigation revealed that the accused Muslim minors were collecting food and other items from the mosque and then proceeded to pelt stones at the Ganesh pandal in Variyali. The police soon caught the accused Muslim minors and took them to the police station.
Notably, this was the third incident of stone pelting that has been carried out by Islamists in Gujarat during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations this year. A Divya Bhaskar report says that these Muslim minors, on 6th September, hurled water packets at the Ganesh pandal, however, the Hindus did not retaliate. Another unsuccessful stone pelting attempt was made on Saturday, 7th September. On Sunday, the Muslim boys arrived on rickshaws and pelted stones at the Ganpati pandal.
After the stone-pelting, as many as 27 Muslims switched off lights in their houses, and locked their ‘local associates’ from outside. When the police conducted searches, after receiving this information, the locks of all these houses were broken and the Muslim accused were escorted away. Meanwhile, it was revealed that stones had already been placed in these four houses, indicating that the stone pelting was a pre-planned conspiracy.
Home Affairs Minister for Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, then took note of the incident and ordered strict action. The local administration in the Sayedpura area of Surat have begun bulldozer action razing illegal properties of the accused arrested in the case.
