On April 21, seven individuals were arrested in Uttar Pradesh, a state in Northern India, concerning the desecration of several mosques. According to the local police, the suspects wanted revenge for the violent clashes in Jahangirpuri during the Hanuman Jayanti parades.
The suspects threw torn pages of the Quran and pig meat, attacking two mosques in Ghosiyana and Kashmiri Mohalla. The suspects also desecrated Gulab Shah Baba, a local Mazar.
Both items used in the attacks are considered offensive by the Muslims.
According to the HindutvaWatch, an independent research initiative that monitors violations against religious minorities, the arrested individuals are Hindu nationalists.
The Wire reported that the arrested individuals are members of a local Hindutva outfit called the "Hindu Yodha Sangathan." The attack's mastermind, Mahesh Kumar Mishra, has multiple criminal records.
Last month, several violent clashes occurred throughout India during the Ram Navami festival. Multiple injuries were reported, including several fatalities.
Following the Ram Navami festival was the Hanuman Jayanti festival, which also witnessed violent clashes between Muslims and Hindus. According to local police, they arrested 23 individuals "from both sides" after the conflict.
A week after the violent clash in Jahangirpuri, a Unity Walk was held, joined by Muslims and Hindus. The parade was held in the C Block area of Jahangirpuri, where the violence started.
During a press conference, Shailesh Kumar Pandey, the Senior Superintendent of Ayodha Police, said that the suspects admitted they were trying to cause communal unrest in the area.
"During questioning of those arrested, it came to light that they wanted to ruin this city's amicable atmosphere and peaceful tradition," Pandey explained.
Pandey added that although four suspects are still at large, he is confident that the police can make the arrests soon. "The law and order situation is completely under control, and no untoward incident has happened since the incident," he added.
In a video Tweeted by Piyush Rai, a local journalist, the suspects can throw things in what appears to be the mosque's entrance. In his tweet, Rai claimed that the suspects had "intentions to stir riots in UP's Ayodhya."
With an intention to stir riots in UP's Ayodhya, suspect threw meat, holy books and put up inflammatory posters outside religious shrines. Seven arrested
Mahesh Kumar Mishra
Pratyush Srivastava
Nitin Kumar
Deepak Kumar Gaud
Brijesh Pandey
Shatrughan Prajapati
Vimal Pandey pic.twitter.com/BEVPBfB2ZE— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 28, 2022
They "threw meat, holy books and put up inflammatory posters outside religious shrines," Raid added in his tweet.
