Bhopal, July 7 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh BJP condemned violence during the Muharram procession in Ujjain, wherein at least five police personnel were injured.

The incident allegedly occurred after the procession attempted to take a prohibited route, deviating from the fixed path agreed upon with district authorities. Cops resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd to bring the situation under control.

Senior BJP leader and Minister, Vishwas Sarang, responding to the incident, said that the constitution allows every religion to flourish, but at the same time, it also says that law and order should not be disrupted.

“Ujjain’s incident is condemnable, and police will take action against those who were involved in violence. Permission was granted to carry the Muharram procession, not to create violence. Police had earmarked the route for the procession, but they resisted and indulged in violence,” State Co-operation Minister Sarang told IANS.

Another BJP MLA from Bhopal, Rameshwar Sharma, who often presents himself as a hard-core Hindutva leader, claimed that Ujjain’s incident was a pre-planned violence and tough action should be taken against those who attacked police personnel.

“Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s government will not tolerate violence, and those who were involved in the Ujjain incident will be punished. They will be punished in a way that they will not be able to eat roti for a few days,” Sharma added.

A video of the incident surfaced on social media shows the crowd forcefully trying to enter in prohibited route even when the police barricades were put up.

Police had to use force to disperse the unruly crowd, several people fled the area — including those carrying the tazia, a symbolic replica of Imam Hussain’s mausoleum — abandoning the ceremonial horse at the scene.

Following the incident, Ujjain district police have registered a case against as many as 16 people, including one organiser, for disturbing law and order.

“We are also trying to identify others with the help of CCTV footage obtained from the location,” a senior police officer said.

In Bhopal and several other parts of the state, the Muharram procession was carried out with over a thousand tazias moved through various parts of the city. There was no report of violence, except in Ujjain on Saturday.

In Bhopal, the main procession began at Fatehgarh, while others originated from locations including Iranian Imambara, Qaziq Camp, Mangalwara near Bhopal Railway Station, and various neighbourhoods like Bhanpur, Karond, Gandhi Nagar, Arif Nagar Chola, and JP Nagar.

A special Majlis also took place at the Sunni Sakalani Jama Masjid in Ashoka Garden, where prayers for peace were offered for three days.

–IANS

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