AhlulBayt News Agency

source : The Wire
Tuesday

19 April 2022

8:00:45 AM
1249404

Indian Muslims offer water to Hindus, hug them during Ram Navami procession

Muslims distributed water, juice and soft drinks to hundreds from the Hindu community who were part of a religious procession in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida on Sunday, April 17, a day after communal clashes broke out in adjoining Delhi.

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Muslims distributed water, juice and soft drinks to hundreds from the Hindu community who were part of a religious procession in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida on Sunday, April 17, a day after communal clashes broke out in adjoining Delhi.

On the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, a procession of Bajrang Dal members undertaking a Shobha Yatra reportedly reached the mosque in Jahangirpuri’s Block C at 5 pm, when the incident took place. The communal clashes broke out after a Hindutva procession attempted to wave a saffron flag in front of the mosque.

The incident reportedly involved stone-pelting and even gunshots fired from a country-made pistol. Some vehicles were reportedly set ablaze during the incident, The Wire reported.

The Delhi police have arrested 22 people in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, several incidents of communal harmony have also emerged from across the country on social media.

In Noida, the Shobha Yatra was greeted by members of the Muslim community who offered juice, cold drinks and water to the Hindus, Dubey said, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Noida media in-charge Rahul Dubey told PTI.

He said the event was a big success and went off peacefully, adding a huge number of supporters had turned out for the yatra which ensured there was no problem during the programme.

The Shobha Yatra in Noida was held a day after the Hanuman Jayanti. The Shobha Yatra was greeted by members of the Muslim community at sector 9’s Bamboo market.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, a Muslim community on Saturday, April 16 welcomed the Shobha Yatra with flower petals, The Quint reported.

According to the report, the Rath Yatra started from Talaiya in Bhopal and passed through a Muslim area amid heavy police deployment.

Members of the Muslim community told the news outlet that they welcomed the yatra as brotherhood should be the real aim.

This comes days after the communal violence broke out in the state when a Ram Navami procession on April 10 made its way past a mosque. The police named three persons and accused them of setting a motorcycle on fire on that day.

Surprisingly, the three accused have been in jail since March on charges of attempt to murder, NDTV reported, raising questions about the police investigations in the rioting case.

Days later, on chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s orders, more than 60 houses of those accused of rioting were destroyed. Many have criticised the administration’s move, saying it was bypassing legal due process.

In West Bengal’s Siliguri, on April 10, some young people from the Muslim community distributed water bottles and hugged the participants at a Ram Navami procession, ANI reported.

Shahnewaz Hussein, one of the volunteers who distributed water bottles, told the news agency, “We took the decision to distribute the bottles to foster affection among the people of different communities. We distributed more than 4,000 water bottles in the procession.”

“India is a country where there is unity in diversity, which is also endorsed by our Constitution. We enjoy everyone’s festivals. It is Ram Navami today, and we are happy to take part in the celebrations. It is also the month of Ramzan,” he said.




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