A saffron flag was ripped off by a Muslim mob in Kawardha, Chhattisgarh, leading to communal clashes. Now, Hindu youths have once again mounted a saffron flag at the same spot with an image of Ram Bhakt Hanuman on it. The flag was mounted amidst loud cheers in a peaceful manner.
Hindu organisations protested against the Congress government in Kawardha following the clashes. They protested in huge numbers with saffron flags in their hands in front of the police units that patrolled the area. Slogans such as ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ were raised and the devotees offered prayers at the Maa Vindhyavasini Temple as a mark of protest.
While Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupendra Baghel has left for Uttar Pradesh to play politics over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, Hindus in his own state are angry with his administration. In the videos, it can be observed that a huge crowd had gathered to mark their protest.
Earlier, a video had surfaced online that showed a Muslim mob uprooting a saffron flag and tearing it, which ultimately led to stone-pelting and clashes. According to reports, the police had conducted a ”Shanti Samiti” meeting with people on Sunday asking them to remove the religious flags from the Chowk in view of upcoming festivals and in order to maintain peace and harmony. “The groups even agreed to the same, however, some youth from both sides reached the site later and created a ruckus,” one police official had said.
Subsequently, section 144 was imposed on the area. Hindu groups said that the Muslim mob had attacked them but the police, instead of cracking down on the perpetrators of violence, chose to thrash them instead. BJP workers accused Congress of shielding the violent mob using law enforcement as a tool.
