Communal tensions escalated in Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, India, the day after a man was shot dead and four others were injured during the Hindu festival of Durga Puja on 13 October.
The situation now is reportedly under control.
On 13 October, at around 4pm, a Durga Puja idol procession was passing by a mosque in Maharajganj district, a Muslim-dominated area, on its usual route. According to reports, the crowd in the procession began playing songs with lyrics that are offensive to Muslims. The inflammatory words triggered a dispute between the procession goers and local Muslims. It was also reported that an attempt was made to take down a green flag (Muslim flag) from a building and replace it with a saffron flag (Hindu flag). Soon the situation escalated to violence, including stone pelting. Within minutes, gunshots were fired and a 22-year-old Hindu named Gopal Mishra was shot dead.
The news of Mishra's death spread quickly and triggered protests in the area. On 14 October, angry mobs burnt local shops and vehicles in retaliation. Police vehicles were also torched. Protesters blocked the roads demanding justice for Mishra.
The district authorities immediately suspended mobile internet services and closed down schools for three days. Around 30 people who were involved in the violence were taken into police custody. The Maharajganj police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the man whose house the bullet was allegedly fired from.
Religious festivals and processions have become an occasion for far-right religious sentiments to stir communal violence between different ethnic and religious groups. Earlier this month, CSW reported that a Muslim trader was killed in Tripura during a religious festival.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘We are increasingly facing a situation in India where both Hindu and Muslim communities are resorting to violence. It is deeply concerning that religious festivals have become unsafe and an occasion for communal conflict. The situation is exacerbated when it involves large crowds and it is not helped by the fact that where far-right religious groups have spread hate speech against religious minorities, a culture of impunity is firmly entrenched as their crimes go unpunished. We urge the police and local authorities to take legal steps to stop the spread of hate speech, and to ensure justice is done by prosecuting the perpetrators of freedom of religion or belief violations.’