Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal saw violent clashes in Howrah’s Shibpur area on Thursday evening. Vehicles were torched and shops vandalised after clashes between two groups during a Ram Navami procession. At least six police personnel were injured.
Several questions are being raised about the necessary permission for the precession. While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the devotees took an unauthorised route, BJP’s Amit Malviya claimed that “VHP had all the permissions for taking out the Ramanavami Shobha Yatra from BE College to Ramkrishnapur Ghat."
Police sources say that while they were allowed to proceed with the procession on Thursday afternoon, they did not have the necessary documents that allowed them to let the procession carry on through the evening.
VHP had all the permissions for taking out the Ramanavami Shobha Yatra from BE College to Ramkrishnapur Ghat. They were on the approved route. Mamata Banerjee lied when she said the route had been changed. She prejudiced the investigation and law enforcement agencies. Shameful… pic.twitter.com/3dhzZHuH19— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 31, 2023
Cops have arrested at least 36 people so far. Area commissioner Praveen Tripathi said “The situation is now under control; no more violence incidents were reported.”
The morning after the clashes, News18 travelled to the area where clashes were reported to get a sense of the situation on Friday. Heavy police deployment was seen across the area and a flag march covering the entire area was conducted by officials.
Multi-city violence on the occasion of #RamNavmi: Violence and clashes reported in #WestBengal’s Howrah city between two groups during a Ram Navami procession. @KamalikaSengupt with the fresh updatesJoin the broadcast with @aayeshavarma pic.twitter.com/TRx4g64lD5
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 31, 2023
While crossing Vidyasagar Setu - also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge – cops were spotted at every crossing. The situation eased after 8 am on Friday as shops opened up.
News18 spotted several broken cars in the area. The owner of one such car spoke to News18 and said, “My car was kept here yesterday and a procession passed by following which stones were thrown. Soon clashes broke out and my car was vandalised. We don’t know why it happened.”
Another car owner had a similar tale to tell. News18 caught him trying to move his heavily damaged car. “I parked my car near a police post. I heard about the clashes, but could not come immediately. I found my car wrecked hours after the clashes,” the resident said.
Some shops were also vandalised near PN Basti. Gourangho Ghosh - a tea seller - said, “I sensed some problems yesterday and decided to close my shop early. Luckily my shop was safe. We as a community want peace. We want to stay united.”
Shyam Prasad Maurya who has a pan shop in the area said he too was among the lucky ones whose shop was safe from vandalism.
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