There have been incidents of attacks on temples in many places in Gujarat for some time now. It has now come to light that a Muslim youth attacked the Radhakrishna temple and priest in Waghpara of Morbi. The accused, identified as Mohsin, pelted stones at the temple priest, his wife and an elderly visitor during the puja in the early hours of the morning.
According to reports, Mohsin keeps doing such things frequently. Hindu organisations and a police convoy rushed to the spot as soon as the incident was reported. At present, the police have arrested Mohsin and are taking legal action.
According to the information received, a Muslim youth named Mohsin pelted stones at the Radhakrishna Temple at Waghpara in Morbi in the early hours of Friday (27th October). He had a scuffle with the priest and his wife before the attack. Mohsin threatened Pujari and his wife by hurling abuses at them. He became more aggressive when the priest stopped him. Mohsin inflicted stone slashes on him. He pelted stones at the temple as a panicked priest couple switched off the iron grill gates of the temple.
‘I’ll burn the whole Waghpara, I want to kill you today’, said accused Mohsin
The priest of the temple gave information about the whole matter while talking to OpIndia. He said, “In the morning, my wife and I set out to worship god as per the routine. When I was coming, he (Mohsin) was following with a continuous blabbering behind me. When I entered the temple, he stood outside and continued his talks.” According to the priest, Mohsin was saying, “Do whatever you can do, I want to kill you today. I’ll burn the whole Waghpara.tiger.”
The priest told OpIndia, “He was abusing us like this, so I told him, ‘You leave from here and let us do aarti.’ Then I started the aarti. So in a fit of rage, he took the first step to kill me with a stone, but by the grace of God, he fell there and the stone also fell out of his hand.”
He further said, “When he went to pick up another stone, my wife warned me, but the aarti had started, so I said that if you are afraid, you should close the door but the aarti will not be stopped.” He added, “It is our tradition that aarti cannot be put aside till completion once it is started.”
Stones continued to be thrown, but the priest did not pause the aarti
The priest further said, “Even while the aarti was going on, Mohsin continued to hurl stones and inflicted six to seven wounds. After the aarti was over, I told him, ‘What is your problem? I don’t know you.’ But the only thing he was saying was ‘I have to kill you today and burn the Waghpara’. In the meantime, an old man who comes for darshan every day also arrived. He was also attacked by Mohsin. He was hit by two stones. I then told the old man to go home and send the youths from the house. However, by then the men had gathered from all around and Mohsin had also escaped. We later informed the police. He was then nabbed by the police.”
The priest also informed OpIndia that Mohsin had issued a threat to confront him at the police station. According to the priest, Mohsin resides in Waghpara village, yet this incident marked the first of its kind. “The entire village has rallied behind me and urged the authorities to take stringent measures. He came wielding stones today; tomorrow, it could be more dangerous weapons,” he asserted. Additionally, he expressed gratitude for his survival, emphasising that no significant harm had occurred, thanks to the deities.
Local Hindus and organisations rushed to the spot
OpIndia also contacted local Hindu organisations for more information about the attack on the temple in Morbi by the Muslim youth. Kamlesh Ahir, president of Morbi district Hindu Yuva Vahini, said, “Early in the morning, I got a call from a local leader informing me about the incident. I rushed to the spot immediately after coming to know about the incident. When I went there and checked, I found huge pieces of bricks and stone lying in and around the temple premises. The Muslim youth fled to another street after pelting stones. I immediately informed the police about the matter and the police immediately rushed to the spot.”
Earlier, Mohsin had tried to burn down the house of a Brahmin family: Kamlesh Ahir
During a discussion with OpIndia, Kamlesh Ahir described Mohsin as someone embodying an intense and radical zeal. Ahir alleged that Mohsin’s language is particularly abrasive, and he has caused disturbances on multiple occasions in the past to instil fear within the community.
He added, “Mohsin attempted to set a Brahmin’s house on fire previously. He lit the window of the Brahmin family’s house. However, due to Mohsin’s fanatic nature, the family refrained from taking legal action due to fear. He also harassed Hindu sisters and daughters during Navratri while intoxicated, but no one dared to speak up.”
It is noteworthy that Kamlesh Ahir asserted that Mohsin was engaged in the trade of alcohol and narcotics. Ahir suggested that Mohsin’s intent behind the incident might have been to permanently shut down the temple. The police have filed charges against Mohsin under sections 323, 324, 504, and 506(2) of the IPC for the attack on the Radhakrishna temple and its priest in Waghpara, Morbi.
