Stone-Pelting & Chaos: Hindu Devotees Attacked During Festival

Submitted by on

A riot between Hindu devotees and a mob occurred in the suburb of Malad West in the megacity of Mumbai, India, during the Ram Navami festivities, where a few men suffered injuries.

According to Malwani police, around 12 men were arrested, and 400 others were charged with causing violence against Hindu devotees on March 30th. They were arrested based on the complaint filed by Amol Walavalkar, a police constable patrolling around the area.

They face accusations of stone-pelting, throwing slippers, and unlawful assembly during a procession where the accused men allegedly assaulted devotees during Ram Navami.

Walavalkar’s complaint identified the following 12 men as primary suspects in the riot: Munna Naitulla Rafique Shaikh, Mohammed Shoaib Ahmed Mohammed, Faizan Alim, Lateef Sayeed, Afzal Shaikh, Sadique Shaikh, Mohammed Furkaan Faiyaz Ahmed, Ahmed Raza Samir Shaikh, Mohabia Ansari, Jamil Merchant, Munna Shaikh, and Riyan Shaikh.

Walavalkar also reported in his complaint that around 6,000 devotees participated in the Ram Navami procession last March 30th. He said police officers started to notice a mob of 150 men gathering as the procession passed through Jama Masjid at Abdul Hamid Road at around 7:25 PM.

From there, the mob began chanting slogans, and the police officers began approaching the crowd and trying to close into the mob. As they came, one of the men started throwing rocks at the devotees passing through the area. The police officers arrested the man who had thrown stones at the procession, identified as Munna Naimtulla Rafique Shaikh, then took him to the police station. 

When the procession passed through Ali Hazrat Masjid at 8:45 PM on the same road, a group of 250 men gathered, this time near the Savera Heights building, which included Jamil Merchant. As the devotees passed through the street, the group chanted slogans and threw slippers and shoes on the procession.

“When we intervened, the men threw stones at us and injured us, too,” Walavalkar said. 

The mob continued pushing and shoving the police as they tried to contain the crowd. Ajay Bansal, the deputy police commissioner of Zone 11 in the city, said a few men, including police officers, were injured because of the incidents. He also said the police are investigating the riots through the area’s CCTV footage and drone recordings.

“We have video recordings and drone recordings, and we are in the process of identifying the miscreants,” Bansal said.

Despite the violence, the Ram Navami processions continued without issues. Bansal said two Hindu leaders, Rakesh Harinath Yadav of Bajrang Dal and Mithilesh Singh of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, organized the parade last March 30th.

Several men were arrested for causing problems during the Ram Navami procession in other areas, such as Powai. However, even though the incidents occurred near masjids, Maharashtra’s tourism minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said there were no political links behind the riots and said the suspects would be punished severely for the incident.

See More Atheist News

If you like our posts, subscribe to the Atheist Republic newsletter to get exclusive content delivered weekly to your inbox. Also, get the book "Why There is No God" for free.

Click Here to Subscribe

Donating = Loving

Heart Icon

Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.

Or make a one-time donation in any amount.