A Muslim resident of Sadara village in Gandhinagar, Gujarat has created a huge controversy by making derogatory comments on Hindu deities, Lord Ram and Goddess Sita on social media. Thousands of local Hindus have come out on the streets and are protesting over this incident. The police have also reacted swiftly and detained the accused minor. A complete shutdown was observed after an announcement by the majority Hindu population of the hamlet. Now, measures are underway to take further action against the offender.
Bajrang Dal official Ganpat Singh told OpIndia that the incident took place on 22nd October when a 16-year-old from Sadara village made extremely indecent and obscene comments about the Hindu gods in a post on the social media platform Instagram. A screenshot of the remark spread throughout the village after which people from the local Hindu community gathered as members of the Hindu organisations also reached there.
Ganpat Singh mentioned that the people were furious and hence the workers of the Hindu outfits appealed to others to persuade them to take the course of legal action after which 200 to 300 Hindus arrived at the Chiloda Police Station and presented all the evidence along with the screenshot of the disparaging statement as well as demanded strict action. Police Inspector Parmar acted quickly to arrest the perpetrator after observing the public’s ire. The instance also created a stir in the surrounding areas and Hindus from nearby regions also began to congregate in Sadara to express their disapproval. Hindu activists also appealed to protest peacefully and legally.
The Bajrang Dal workers were accompanying the Hindus throughout all of this. The majority Hindu community of the village closed all businesses for a day on 23rd October on the call of the Hindu group. They also took out a rally in the village and enraged Hindus from closeby areas also participated. “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Shivaji, Jai Bhavani” slogans were raised by the protesters.
ચિલોડા, ગાંધીનગર | સાદરા ગામના મુસ્લિમ સમુદાયના એક સગીરે ઈન્સ્ટાગ્રામ પર ભગવાન રામ અને માતા સીતા વિશે અભદ્ર ટિપ્પણી કર્યા બાદ હિંદુ સંગઠનોમાં આક્રોશ
— ઑપઇન્ડિયા (@OpIndia_G) October 23, 2024
રેલી કાઢીને ચિલોડા પોલીસ મથક પહોંચ્યા કાર્યકર્તાઓ, કડક કાર્યવાહીની માંગ કરી
સાદરા ગામમાં બંધ પાળીને કરાયો વિરોધ, પોલીસ પણ… pic.twitter.com/jQ1NAWbVz9
An official of the Hindu organisation confirmed the shutdown and asserted that Hindus are united after the occurrence. The parents of the culprit pleaded with the village sarpanch and Hindu groups not to take any action after witnessing the critical atmosphere. They claimed that he was young and made a mistake and repeatedly begged the Hindu activists to save his future and career. The sarpanch and Hindu outfits have decided that no further action should be initiated and written apology letter would be taken from the members of the Muslim community in order to avoid any such ‘mistake’ in the future.
“I want to apologise to the people of Sadra village and the Hindu community. I had abused Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, please forgive me for that. My family and I assure you that we will never repeat such a mistake, nor will we ever hurt the sentiments of any religion,” the apology stated.
The police also organised a peace committee meeting between the Hindu and Muslim communities as a mediator. The former declared that they are ready to take a step back if the other side affirms that such an instance is wrong and assures will never happen again. The Hindu outfit further reported that members of the Muslim community assembled in Sadara village and Hindu organisations including Bajrang Dal were also present there. Now, no further action will be initiated in the matter, as per the decision adopted in the meeting.
When asked if there had ever been a communal event of this kind in Sadara village, the Hindu organisation replied with a no and pointed out that only 250 of the approximately 8000 homes in Sadara village are of Muslims. However, the group has also asserted that tensions have risen in the last six months. They added that a mosque is located close to the school. It has installed large speakers that play Azaan five times loudly. They highlighted that it never happened before which also indicates that Muslim migration has escalated in the area. Now, the village is shut down and future steps will be taken after a decision is reached following the conclusion of the meeting.
