Vadodara: The Gujarat Police have arrested 150 people in Vadodara after more than a dozen were severely injured during recent communal clashes in the city.
The violence reportedly broke out after the images of Hindu Goddess Maa Ambe and Lord Ram superimposed over Mecca’s religious shrine went viral on the internet.
The violence coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.
Streets on fire: Violence reportedly broke out in Vadodara after images of Hindu Goddess Maa Ambe and Lord Ram superimposed over Mecca’s religious shrine went viral on the internet. A dozen people were severely injured and are being treated in city hospitals
Communal tension has been prevailing in Gujarat ever since the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) asked the state government to issue a directive preventing Muslims from entering the places where garbas are organised.
The VHP even stated that if the BJP government did not pay heed to it, the outfit would itself initiate action to ensure Muslims did not attend garba events.
“The injured are under medical observation and those who have been arrested are being interrogated,” Vadodara Police Commissioner E. Radhakrishnan said.
The latest violence has marred the spirit of the Navratri festival that involves men and women in prayer, music and dance.
“The idea of banning Muslims from Hindu festivals has upset the minority, but we are determined to keep the celebrations open to all,” Radhakrishnan said, adding that tension had begun to ebb.
Modi contested the 2014 general elections from Vadodara, but gave up the seat in favour of Varanasi from where he had also contested.
Police in Vadodara this month arrested Muslim cleric Maulana Mehdi Hasan who had reportedly called Navratri a “festival of demons”.
The Gujarat government deployed riot police to control the clashes in Vadodara and appealed to religious leaders to intervene to curb them.
The city police said that no untoward incident was reported on Monday, which witnessed clashes over the last four days.
