By Sami Ahmad

Patna, May 18, 2022: The forced hoisting of a saffron flag atop a mosque in Bihar during the recent Ram Navami procession was an attempt to provoke Muslims to retaliate with violence, says a fact-finding report by the state unit of People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL).

The civil liberty group released the report May 17 in the state capital of Patna. It questions the role of the administration and has called for a probe into the alleged involvement of Hindu radical organizations into the May 10 incident at Kazi Mohammadpur in Muzaffarpur district.

“The residents (of the minority community) didn’t respond and react to the provocation,” noted the report that alleged involvement of organizations like Bajrang Dal and Hindu Sena in the incident. “Such allegations must be investigated properly and if found true, stern actions should be taken against them,” PUCL asserted.

On the occasion of Ram Navami, a man climbed the mosque wall and planted the saffron flag on top of the gate of a mosque. He was cheered on by men riding bikes and wielding swords and hockey sticks.

According to a report by NDTV, a national television network, the men took out a procession outside the Dak Bangla Masjid in Mohammadpur on Ram Navami. The incident was captured on video, and the clip went viral after it was circulated on social media.

“This incident shows how the Indian Constitution has been violated by Hindutva communal forces and how the police failed in its duty to protect the Constitution,” the report said.

The report was prepared by a three-member team led by convener Kishori Das.

On April 11, a First Information Report was registered by the Station House Officer of Paroo police station under sections 188 (disobedience to government order), 147 (rioting), 148 (unlawful assembly), 153 (provocation), 295 (insulting religious sentiments), 295 (A) and 120 (B) (Criminal conspiracy).

Section 67 (Transmitting provocative material) of the IT Act has also been applied but the arms act has not been included while the PUCL report suggests that those in the procession were carrying arms illegally.

A video of the incident went viral on April 10, but the FIR mentions the time of receiving information about the flag hoisting at 4:45 pm next day.

The FIR mentions one Rishabh Thakur in whose name the license to take Ramnavami procession was issued and one of the accused in this case. Thakur is said to a member of the Bajrang Dal. A police report says the incident was aimed at creating communal tension, disrupting harmony and threatening people.

The PUCL report notes that “provocative slogans and loud music with derogatory and threatening songs were played after stopping the procession at the mosque.”

On the same day, a saffron flag was hoisted at an Eidgah in Aswari Banjariiya, a nearby village.

The PUCL team questioned on Amar Paswan and its report says “hatred is being spread in the entire country.” Paswan lives 8 km away from the mosque and came to know about this incident from the viral video.

Another local resident Nyaz Ahmad who lives near the mosque has been quoted as saying that the “incident was planned to scare us so that we don’t raise our voices.”

“We do not have a problem with their procession passing our mosque as long as they pass peacefully,” said Nyaz.

Another local Parvez Ahmad, who lives near the Aswari Banjariya Eidgah, told the PUCL team that they were “scared and felt helpless.”

Vrati Kumar, a member of the PUCL fact-finding team, told TwoCirles.net that although the police acted after the incident of provocative flag hoisting, “their role was dubious at that time because there was no presence of police.”

“How and why was the permission to carry weapons in the procession given by the police?” he questioned.

The General Secretary of PUCL, Bihar Sarfaraz Ahmad told TwoCircles.net, that the report will be sent to the chief minister and top officials of Bihar.

The PUCL report has recommended that “the police officials who failed to act responsibly to maintain communal harmony and protect the place of Muslim worship from sacrilege by anti-social elements and communal forces carrying out the procession should be penalized.”

“The incidence of Qazi Mohammadpur is proof of the dereliction of duty and/or collusion with communal forces who for political gains wanted to create communal disharmony,” the report notes.

When TwoCirles.net asked the I.G. of Tirhut range Pankaj Kumar Sinha about no action being taken against the erring officials, he suggested contacting the S.S.P.

S.S.P. of Muzaffarpur Jayant Kant was dismissive of the PUCL report terming it as “Kude ka Ghar (trash).”

He said that the police have taken proper action and disconnected the call.

(Sami Ahmad is a journalist based in Patna, Bihar. He tweets at @samipkb)

Source: http://twocircles.net/2022may18/445863.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email