Violence Along Ram Navami Procession Routes Has Become A Recurring Feature
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-04-04 07:43:30
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The India Commentary view
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The
violence during Ram Navami, mainly due to taking out processions, has become a
recurring feature. This year, widespread violence was reported from Bengal,
Bihar, Maharashtra and Gujarat and minor skirmishes from other states. Since it
is known from the experience of last few years that Ram Navami processions trigger
violence due to many reasons, it is time now that the respective states take
measures to prevent it. The major reasons that trigger violence are - arms carried
by participants, provocative slogans, not adhering to the route passed by the
police and breaking the police cordon. These are not things which cannot be
prevented if the administration issues strict orders and the police force follows
them scrupulously. Things get out of hand only because the participants do not respect
the rules and the law keepers to not enforce them strictly.
Since the
processions are sanctioned from a starting point and the terminating point and
the route are well defined, the police must ensure at the starting point that
no participants carry arms. The route must be sanitized and the informer
network must be activated to spot signs of trouble so that no stone pelting or
other incidents take place. The organizers must be warned, at the risk of
arrest and punitive action that no changes in the route will be allowed and
those using provocative slogans will be arrested on the spot. Drone
surveillance must be carried out for the entire duration of the procession to
ensure that people carrying arms do not join along the route. The police cordon
must not be allowed to be breached. Permission must not be granted the
following year to processions that violate any of the conditions. These
measures must be religion-neutral and must not apply only to Ram Navami
processions as religious processions of all kinds are increasingly becoming
tools to foment trouble.
Picture courtesy:
The Hans India (caption ours)
