A complaint has been registered at the local police station in Navsari, Gujarat, that a mob of 150 to 200 Islamists attacked Hindus, especially women, living in the Dargah Road area of Navsari on the night of December 7.
It is alleged that after creating a ruckus over vehicle parking, the Islamist mob entered the Hindu areas and abused even the women, threatened to kill them and throw them out of the area. A complaint has been registered at the Navsari Town Police Station in this matter, based on which the police have started a preliminary investigation.
Chandan Rathod, a victim of this attack, told OpIndia that the incident took place on Saturday (December 7) night. He said that there was an argument with a local Muslim youth over vehicle parking. After that, a large number of local Muslims arrived at the location carrying sticks and sticks. It is alleged that a mob of 100-150 Muslims abused the women and threatened to kill them.
However, the police have denied any communal angle in the incident and have stated that it was only a verbal dispute between two groups.
“Go away, infidels, this is our territory.”
According to the victim, a large number of Muslims live on Dargah Road. He further said that the Islamist mob misbehaved with the women and beat them up saying, ‘Infidels, run away from here, this is our area. This is just the beginning.’ Apart from this, it is alleged that the mob also threatened the Hindu women by saying, ‘We will strip them and kill them’. According to the complainant, caste-based abuses were also used.
The women have filed a complaint at the Navsari Town Police Station demanding action. The women have also mentioned the names of some Muslim men in the complaint. A copy of the complaint is available with OpIndia.
The complaint names Shahnawaz Bhandari (main accused), Ajaz Sheikh, Shoaib Sheikh, Sufyan Salim, and Rafiq Patel’s son. It is alleged that 100-150 Muslims had gathered under the leadership of these people. Navsari Town Police is currently investigating the matter.
In this matter, an officer of the town police station told OpIndia that action will be taken in this matter.
A video of the women narrating about the alleged harassment has gone viral on the social media.
Hindus are harassed even during Navratri, Ganeshotsav – Complainant
Complainant Chandan Rathod further said that the majority of the population on Dargah Road is from the Muslim community. They also have a Dargah here, next to which a Hindu temple is also located. The complainant has said that for the last three years, radical Muslims have not allowed them to celebrate a single festival. He said that even in the Ganesh Pandal, local Muslims create obstacles and force them to stop bhajans and kirtans. He has tried to convince the local Muslims many times, but still they create obstacles during Hindu festivals.
Locals say that during Navratri, a Garba program is held in the temple, but for the last three years, local Muslims have been harassing them a lot during the event. They said that during Garba, some Muslims enter the pandal on bikes and threaten to stop the program. They added that Muslims also misbehave and molest the women who perform Garba.
In addition, when the Hindu community built a toran for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Mahotsava, local Muslims opposed it and threatened to remove the toran. According to the complainant, they have been enduring all this for three years, but now as such incidents are increasing, they have decided to file a police complaint. They further said that people named Shahnawaz Bhandari and Shoaib Sheikh play a major role in every incident and gather crowds.
OpIndia also spoke to a local Hindu organization. The organization said that they are now fully with the victims and are petitioning the police officers and demanding action. Along with the complainants, the Hindu organization’s activists have also gone to the Deputy SP office and demanded action. Currently, the Hindu organizations and the victims are waiting for an FIR to be filed.
Police denies communal angle, says it was a parking disute
Meanwhile, the police have stated that there was no assault, and no religious threats were made against Hindus. Police have added that it was a parking dispute and the incident has no communal angle. However, accused have been arrested under the SC/ST Act and other relevant section. The police have also clarified that anti-Hindu threats or slurs were not spoken and the viral videos of the incident also do not show any anti-Hindu remark.
The accused persons have been booked for offences under the BNS and SC-ST Act. Further action on the issue is underway.
Note: A previous version of this report appeared with a different headline and content. The report has been updated with the latest available information. Further details will be updated when available.
