JAIPUR: Right-wing groups took out a procession for
Ram Navami in Jodhpur on Sunday, in which one of the tableaux glorified Rajsamand hate-crime accused
Shambu Lal Raigar.
The murder accused, currently in jail, was hailed as a crusader against “love jihad.” The incident came to light on Tuesday when photos of the procession, including of the Raigar tableau on a tractor trolley, went viral on social media. The photos show a youth in a red kurta, a white scarf around his neck, sitting cross-legged on a big chair and holding a pickaxe, the weapon allegedly used by Raigar to hack to death migrant worker
Afrazul in December 2017.
Raigar had worn similar clothes when he allegedly killed Afrazul in Rajsamand before burning him.
Panwar blames media for controversy
One of the pictures of the tableau shows a man, representing the victim Afrazul, lying at Raigar’s feet.
A banner on the tableau has a photo of local Shiv Sena leader Hari Singh Panwar and an inflammatory message written over it. When contacted, Panwar told TOI he did not wish to offend anybody and instead blamed media for creating the controversy. “The press is blowing things out of proportion. We just wanted to raise awareness among women about the dangers of love jihad,” Panwar said.
Earlier, while speaking to local media in Jodhpur after the procession, Panwar claimed he found nothing wrong in holding a rally in support of Raigar who “raised awareness” amongst Hindus. “Love jihad is fast spreading like a social menace. I am hopeful that Raigar will get justice,” Panwar said. The youth who had dressed up as the accused for the procession argued that Raigar was facing trial and had not yet been convicted. Sources in the Jodhpur police told TOI that there were about 300 tableaux in the
Ram Navami procession on Sunday.“Last year there were about 150 tableaux in the same Ram Navami procession. This year they had over 300. The procession went through different parts of the city. We have been told that there was one tableau about rape-accused Asaram Bapu too,” officials said, adding that the growing cult of Raigar, currently in judicial custody, has become a matter of concern.
