Ahead of Ram Navami and Eid festivals, peace committee meetings are being organized in many communally ‘sensitive’ areas to ensure peace and harmony. While Circle Officer of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, Anuj Chaudhary, made a clear statement that if Muslims want to feed Sevaiyan on Eid, they will have to eat Gujiya on Holi, however, not all peace meetings have been about equal respect and rights for Hindus. Some peace meetings hinged on placating perennially offended and petulant Islamists at the cost of restricting the freedom of Hindus to celebrate their festival in a grand fashion.
Hindus not allowed to play DJ in Ram Navami processions in Jharkhand’s Tisri Block
In the Tisri block of Jharkhand’s Giridih district, a peace committee meeting was held on the Tisri police station premises on Wednesday (26th March) under the joint leadership of Police Inspector Pascal Topo and Police Station Incharge Ranjay Kumar.
In the meeting, it was mainly asked to renew the license of the procession to be taken out on Ram Navami Puja, and the route of the procession was sought from all the Ram Navami Puja Committee members of the area. In the meeting, the members of the Puja Committee from various villages of the Tisri block detailed the route of the procession one by one and submitted the license to the police station for renewal.
During the meeting, Police Station Incharge Ranjay Kumar said that DJ should not be played at any cost by Hindus in the Ram Navami procession. If DJ is played, not only the DJ systems will be confiscated, but action will also be taken against the members of the committee. He said that the procession of the village will be taken through the same route which it used to take earlier.
Notably, the Giridih SDPO attended a peace meeting at Gandey Police Station and said that there would be a complete ban on DJ during the Ram Navami procession.
In Jharkhand’s Chatra, a peace meeting was held wherein the police issued strict instructions to the Ram Navami Puja Committee against playing ‘offensive’ songs during the Ram Navami procession.
In Saraikela, police have instructed Hindus not to play ‘provocative’ and ‘obscene’ songs during the Ram Navami procession.
In Birni as well, the police organised a peace committee meeting with representatives from Hindu and Muslim communities ahead of Eid, Chaitra Navratri and Ram Navami. The police said that ‘provocative’ songs will not be allowed on the DJ during the Ram Navami procession. The authorities added that if provocative songs are found to be played to incite others (Muslims), action will be taken against them.
Violence in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh
On Tuesday, a Muslim mob pelted stones at Hindus taking out the Mangla procession in Hazaribagh near Jama Masjid Chowk. In retaliation, Hindus are also reported to have pelted stones. Informing about the matter, Nancy Sahay, Deputy Commissioner of Hazaribagh, said, “One group (Hindus) was playing some songs during the procession, which was objected to by the second group (Muslims), resulting in a scuffle and stone pelting. However, it did not escalate as the forces deployed there took control of the situation.”
No DJ, no swords allowed during Ram Navami procession in Bihar’s Balua
A peace committee meeting was held on Wednesday (26th March) in the Balua police station premises regarding Eid and Ram Navami. During the meeting, SHO Sunil Kumar instructed Hindus not to display swords during the Ram Navami procession. The authorities also directed Hindus not to play ‘offensive’ songs on the DJ. On being found playing DJ, the sound system and other equipment will be confiscated by the police.
Ban on DJ music during Ram Navami in Bihar’s Guraru and Jhumri Tilaiya
In Bihar’s Guraru Police Station area, a peace committee meeting was held on Wednesday in view of Ram Navami, Chaiti Chhath and Eid. During the meeting, BDO Sambhav Kumar Singh, CO Mrs. Nupur and SHO Chahat Kumar appealed to people to celebrate their festivals peacefully. However, the authorities imposed restrictions on playing DJ music during the Ram Navami procession in the area. In addition, the supposed ‘objectionable’ songs have also been prohibited.
Similarly, in Bihar’s Jhumri Tilaiya, the police have made it mandatory to take permission for a flag procession on Ram Navami. In addition, the police have also imposed a complete ban on playing DJ during the celebration of the Hindu festival.
In the BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh, however, there is a ban on playing DJ during Ram Navami processions, nor any other one-sided ‘peace preserving’ diktats issued against Hindus.
Communal harmony at the cost of curbing the freedom of Hindus to celebrate their festivals freely?
The ban on playing DJ and supposedly ‘provocative’ songs played by Hindus during Ram Navami processions indicates the attempt of the administration to placate a perpetually offended Islamist lot, who need no reason but a mere sight of Hindus celebrating their festival in a Muslim-dominated area to pelt stones and assault them.
What is a celebration without music unless one follows a religion where music is essentially ‘Haram’ (forbidden)? Music and grand celebrations are a part of Hindu culture and yet the authorities hinge on curbing the religious freedom of Hindus. Why is it that Hindus must always make sacrifices, and play the role of “Bada bhai” (elder brother) so that the “Chhota bhai” (younger brother) can do whatever he wants?
The recent violence in Hazaribagh wherein Hindu procession was attacked when it reached the Muslim-dominated Jama Masjid Chowk, similar other incidents during Holi indicate that mere sight of Hindus unapologetically celebrating their festivals, playing music and wearing their religious identity on their sleeves is enough to offend Islamists who in ‘kudrati’ manner find stones and sticks to attack Hindus.
The authorities must understand that the problem is not in DJ, music or Hindu processions; rather, the problem lies in the Islamist mindset intolerant of Hindus. There have been numerous instances when Islamo-leftists justified violence by Muslim mobs against Hindus just because the latter were taking a procession near a mosque playing bhajans, or raising Jai Shri Ram slogans. The authorities imposing restrictions on Hindu festivals, however, is lopsided even though it may on the face appear to be an attempt at maintaining communal harmony.
However, far from fostering peace and upholding communal harmony, such moves only embolden Islamist Jihadis who interpret this as weakness, and assume that somehow they have the right to get offended and resort to violence if a Hindu procession passes by a mosque or simply Hindus are seen celebrating their festivals in a Muslim area. Not to forget, in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh, wherein Muslims pelted stones from Madarsa on Hindus for installing Mahashivratri flags and loudspeakers. If mere installation of Hindu religious flags and loudspeakers could offend Islamists enough to unleash violence against Hindus, if celebrating victory of India in a cricket championship can trigger Islamists enough (as seen in Mhow violence) to pelt stones on Hindus, what is the guarantee that even if DJ is banned, the supposedly ‘offensive’ are restricted, ‘Bhadkau naara’ (provocative slogans) and whatnot are banned, the Islamists will not find an excuse and unleash violence against Hindus?
This approach of disproportionately burdening one community to self-censor its traditions, under the garb of neutral peacekeeping, is futile, as it fails to address the root cause of intolerance of those Islamists who exploit such measures to assert their religious dominance over the Hindus. The authorities and ‘secular’ governments need to understand that their approach is just a band-aid on a deeper wound of Islamist hatred for Hindus and is hardly effective in deterring those primed for jihadist violence.
