Communal tensions were rife in the district of Palghar, Maharashtra after Hindus were prevented from celebrating the festival of Navratri. According to reports, the incident was reported from a society in the Nallasopara area of Palghar, Mumbai. The society has Hindu and Muslim residents. However, Hindus have recently complained that they are being stopped from celebrating Navratri and performing puja in the society by Muslims. Hindus have also complained that the Muslim community has built an illegal Madarsa within the society and namaz is held there on a regular basis.
The videos of the Hindu society members complaining about the incident are making rounds on social media. Reports mention several local Hindus reached the society after they knew that Muslims in the society were stopping Hindus from celebrating Navratri. Hindus protested against the incident and tried to organize Puja within the society. Later police were informed who eventually reached the spot and stopped the people of the Hindu community from performing puja.
According to reports, some Muslim women in the locality have voiced their opposition to the installation of Lord Ganesh idols and the public celebration of Navratri, raising concerns about religious tensions. According to the Head of BJP Maharashtra Social Media Legal and Advisory Department, Adv Ashutosh Dubey, Muslims in the society have a permanent place of worship but Hindus are not allowed to even celebrate any festival. As per his X post, Muslims in the society have put up Islamic flags all over but Hindus are not allowed to do the same. Dubey has called for Palghar police cognizance in the case.
📍Nallasopara, Mumbai – Muslim women are currently preventing Hindu women from celebrating Navratri and setting up Ganesha, despite Hindus providing them a permanent worship space.
— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY 🇮🇳 (@AdvAshutoshBJP) October 8, 2024
They are putting up their religious flag, but Hindus are not allowed to put up theirs.… pic.twitter.com/plHdzd0Qop
The society in which the said incident happened is named Orange Heights, located in the Yashwant Gaurav area of Nalasopara West. This society houses an almost equal population of Hindu and Muslim residents. People of the Hindu community allege that people of the Muslim community keep harassing them and asserting their dominance.
The Hindu residents of the community intended to hold a Mata ki Chowki and organize Garba during Navratri. Following this, people of the Muslim community began harassing them by dumping various things, like iron sheets blocking the way of Hindus at the event venue. They further stated that such religious activities would not be permitted in society. When the Hindu community sought the police for assistance, they received no response.
Protesters from a Hindu organization who arrived from the outside in response to the incident asserted that the Hindu residents had made several requests to the Muslim community to allow them to celebrate Navratri, but they had been denied. One member of the audience commented, “It is concerning that we now have to ask permission to worship our Gods and celebrate our festivals in our own country.”
Nallasopara, Mumbai – Here Hindus and Muslims live together in the society,
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) October 8, 2024
Now Muslim women are not allowing Hindu women to celebrate Navratri and install Ganesha in the society, whereas hindus even allowed them permanent place of worship in the society pic.twitter.com/XYpci5sRCS
Another person stated, “They (Muslims) are stopping us from celebrating Navratri here, yet they have built a madrasa in this location. Who provided them permission to build a madrasa? Though they are allowed to reside in society, building a madrassa should be prohibited.” He questioned who gave the Muslim community permission to prevent Hindus from worshipping and celebrating their festivals. The Hindus reiterated that they simply intended to organize Puja on the occasion of Navratri and would leave once it was over.
Several videos have surfaced on social media showing harassment of members of the Hindu community in Orange Heights. In these videos, Hindus can be heard complaining that common areas are being taken over by the Muslim community. They claim that deliberate attempts are being made to disrupt their peace.
One such video, shared by Kajal Hindustani on the social media platform X, features a woman describing the situation, “This is how we are being stopped. Iron sheets are placed here so that we don’t celebrate the Hindu festival here. This is done whenever they feel like it. Roads are blocked at will. Our cars are stopped. Gates are closed without giving any notice. Our flags are thrown down whenever they want. They silence us, harass us whenever they want.”
The video shows a big iron sheet covering the road, making it practically difficult for a four-wheeler to pass. In the video, a few Muslim ladies are seen standing nearby, passively watching as Hindu women film the interaction. The Hindu women claim that the route has been closed for two years and that emergency services have been shut off for Hindus.
नालासोपारा, मुंबई – यहाँ पर सोसाइटी में हिंदू और मुस्लिम साथ में रहते है,
— Kajal HINDUsthani (@kajal_jaihind) October 8, 2024
मुस्लिम महिलायें, हिंदू महिलाओं को सोसाइटी में नवरात्रि और गणेश स्थापना नहीं करने देती जबकि इन्होंने सोसाइटी में अपना परमानेंट इबादत गृह बना लिया है
मुस्लिम महिलायें, हिंदू महिलाओं को सोसाइटी में भगवा… pic.twitter.com/Drx7foJ8dB
In the video, a Hindu woman further displays the side of the same road where numerous tazias are positioned, with a Muslim religious flag behind. She goes on to say, “Their flag and other items remain here for years, while our flag is removed immediately.” As the woman records, a Muslim teenager is seen removing the Islamic flag to avoid it from being seen on camera.
In another video, the same woman highlights a madrasa created by Muslims in the parking area of the society. She explains, “They (Muslims) turned a part of a parking lot into a madrasa, even putting up a shed. This madrasa has been operating for two years now, with five prayers being offered daily using loudspeakers, and we have never objected. But now, when we want to set up Mata Rani ki Chowki for just nine days, they are refusing.”
The woman points to the surroundings of the society and asks, “If we need emergency services here, how will we get them? These people are now even planning to build a wall here and prevent access to the E wing. They’ve even stopped the flow of water and attempted to block the drainage system with bricks and stones.”
She goes on, “They’re additionally asking that the space where waste is stored be sealed off. We’ve been to the police station 15-20 times but haven’t found a solution. In the video, the woman shows a madrasa called ‘Faizan-e-Quran Jaaye Namaz Madrasa’ and claims that it was built illegally.
Residents allege that every year during Navratri, the Hindu community organizes Mata Ki Chowki and immerses idols after worship. However, this year, they are being harassed by members of the Muslim community, who are attempting to prevent them from celebrating Navratri in the open.
