On the night of Friday, June 16, 2023, an unfortunate incident of stone pelting and arson occurred in Junagadh, resulting in injuries to four policemen present at the scene. Tragically, a Hindu man lost his life while passing by during the incident. Swift action was taken by the police to bring the situation under control after the mob created chaos, leading to the arrest of several miscreants. While the police are actively investigating the case, a propaganda campaign has emerged on social media regarding the violence in Junagadh.
It is being claimed on social media that Muslim youths in Junagadh were protesting against the demolition of the dargah and mosque, after which they were beaten up in public. Journalist Asif Mujtaba tweeted a video and wrote, “Muslims are being flogged in Gujarat because they protested against arbitrary & communal demolitions of shrines & mosques. There have been multiple cases where even sub judice structures were demolished without even waiting for a final court order. Muslims come on the road for protest only if it is a last resort to them, only if they have been failed by the executive, legislature & judiciary. The flogging is a serious violation of Human rights & shows the communal mindset of the machinery of the State.”
Muslims are being flogged in Gujarat because they protested against arbitrary & communal demolitions of shrines & mosques. There has been multiple cases where even sub judice structures were demolished without even waiting a final court order.
— Aasif Mujtaba (@MujtabaAasif) June 17, 2023
Muslims come on road for protest… pic.twitter.com/9xb1HvWdqA
In addition to this, numerous tweets have surfaced containing serious allegations. Ashok Swain, a habitual fake news peddler, claimed that the Gujarat police publicly beat a group of Muslim individuals for protesting against the demolition of a local mosque. Furthermore, he drew a comparison between this police action and the actions of the Taliban.
He wrote, “Police in Gujarat, India, publicly flogging a group of Muslims because they had protested against the demolition of a local mosque. Why does the world blame the Taliban?”
Police in Gujarat, India, publicly flogging a group of Muslims because they had protested against demolition of a local mosque. Why does the world blame Taliban? pic.twitter.com/qJLrKG3MWO
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) June 17, 2023
Apart from this, many such tweets were made in which misleading claims were made. One Professor Ilyas wrote, “Police in Gujarat, India, publicly flogging a group of Muslims because they had protested against the demolition of a local mosque. Where are human rights organizations? Where is Zalme Khalilzad?”
Police in Gujarat, India, publicly flogging a group of Muslims because they had protested against demolition of a local mosque. Where is human rights organizations? Where is Zalme Khalilzad ?? pic.twitter.com/2xD2hSfwCG
— محب وطن (@profilyas5983) June 17, 2023
Ilyas Tunha wrote, “Police in Gujarat, India, publicly flogging a group of Muslims because they had protested against the demolition of a local mosque. This is the Real Face of the Hindutva BJP Modi RSS extremist government. Muslim, Christian, Dalit genocide is upcoming in India.”
Police in Gujarat, India, publicly flogging a group of Muslims because they had protested against demolition of a local mosque.this is the real Face of Hindutva bjp Modi RSS extremists government.Muslim, Christian, dalit genocide is up coming in India. #rss #modi #BoycottAdipursh pic.twitter.com/84KogIoVZS
— ilyas tunha (@tunhanajeeb) June 17, 2023
What actually happened?
The issue is regarding the proposed demolition of a dargah (referred to as a mosque in some instances, but it is indeed a dargah).
On June 14, the Junagadh Municipal Corporation issued notices to a total of eight religious sites located on public roads within the municipal area. Notably, out of these eight locations, three are Hindu temples, while the remaining five are dargahs. One of the dargahs, located near Majewadi Gate, has sparked controversy.
Notices were served to these religious-religious places:
1) Hanumanji Temple, Shantashwar Road, Joshipura
2) Judwa Hanumanji Temple, Vanjawad
3) Dargah of Hazrat Roshanshahpir Baba, next to Trimurti Hospital
4) Hazrat Jamiyal Shah Datar Dargah, Danapith Chowk
5) Hazrat Gabanshah Peer Dargah, Danapith Chowk
6) Hazrat Khiznishah Peer Dargah, opposite Majewadi Gate (which caused a ruckus)
7) Dargah of Datar Peer, near Sabalpur bus station
8) Jalaram Temple, Nilgagan Apa. in front of
🚨FAKE NEWS ALERT🚨
— Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) June 17, 2023
Islamists are justifying destroying public property in #Junagadh. Town planning officer says notice had been served to 4 temples and 4 darghas. They were given time to provide ownership evidence, Muslims resorted to stone-pelting. #Hinduphobia https://t.co/w96Tvx1Req pic.twitter.com/sjOAs02FK1
The municipal administration served notices to all religious sites, requesting them to provide evidence of authorized ownership and construction. At that point, no decision had been made regarding demolition, nor was it under consideration. A video contains a statement from the town planner of the Junagadh Municipal Corporation affirming this. Additionally, the Junagadh Municipal Commissioner clarified that the sole purpose was to request documents from these religious sites and that there were no discussions or intentions of demolition.
It’s important to note that the municipality cannot be accused of targeting any specific religion, as notices were served to both temples and dargahs that have been prima facie illegally built, demonstrating that similar actions were taken against religious sites of different faiths.
The truth of so-called dargah demolition
On Friday, June 16, 2023, municipal officials visited the Dargah and affixed a notice. Subsequently, starting in the evening, a crowd from the Muslim community began to gather, and tensions escalated throughout the night. Due to the large gathering, the police became actively involved, and officials approached the crowd, engaging in negotiations for approximately 45 minutes in an attempt to clear the road.
At approximately 10:15 pm, the situation took a violent turn as the mob began pelting stones at the police, causing them to retreat while the crowd dispersed, chanting religious slogans. The situation escalated as stones were pelted, police vehicles were vandalized, State Transport (ST) buses were targeted, and several motorcycles were set ablaze. Tragically, during the attack, four policemen sustained injuries, and a Hindu man lost his life while passing by the area.
As the situation continued to escalate, the police found it necessary to employ measures such as lathi charges and tear gas to disperse the unruly mob. They swiftly established a tight police security arrangement to restore law and order. In order to apprehend the individuals responsible for the stone-pelting and rioting, the police conducted combing operations throughout the night. These operations targeted the very individuals who had engaged in stone-throwing.
Following the incident, an FIR was registered at the Junagadh police station against 31 identified individuals and a mob of approximately 500 others. On Saturday, it was reported that 180 people were detained based on the information provided. The search for the remaining suspects is currently underway. Additionally, the police are reviewing CCTV footage and will take appropriate action against anyone found to be involved in criminal activities.
Minor children were also made to participate in the violence
It should also be noted here that minor children were also used by the mob during the stone-pelting and in some videos, the minors were also seen pelting stones. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has come into action and has written a letter to the police demanding strict action against such elements.
In a letter to Junagadh police, the commission said that in the video of the incident, it can be seen that minor children were also part of the mob and they can also be seen pelting stones. “Prima facie, this is a violation of Sections 83(2) and 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act as well as other appropriate sections of the IPC,” the commission said. An FIR should be lodged for violation of these sections and the persons responsible for the offense should be traced and investigated. The commission had asked for an inquiry and report within seven days of receiving the letter.
