New Delhi | A beautiful picture of communal harmony was witnessed in the national capital when Muslims in Chandani Chowk’s Hauz Qazi area carried out a procession to reinstall statues at the Durga temple which were vandalized on July 1 during a minor scuffle between two individuals over parking which turned into communal tension.
Muslim musicians played shehnai with Hindu musicians playing the dhol on their side sent out a message of unity during the event. Right-wing groups such as Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad also participated in the procession with saffron flags. The procession was organised by the peace committee of the area which comprises of both Hindus and Muslims.
However, the entire event was carried out high security. Heavy security comprising of Delhi Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was deployed in the area. The administration also cordoned off two kilometres of the area and no vehicles were allowed in the area.
This entire incident occurred on July 1 after a fight broke out between two men over the issue of bike parking. However, sometime later the more people got involved in the fight and one side thrashed another. Subsequently, they also went on to destroy a Durga temple at around 10 PM. The locals who witnessed this opposed the destruction of the temple and began the protest demanding strong action. The protest continued till Monday morning.
Meanwhile, a group of people from another community assembled and began stone-pelting at the protestors. Thus, the protest took a violent turn and people from both the communities clashed with each other. Reports say, several people, have been injured in the clash.
The police said that they are investigating the matter and will soon see the culprits punished. They have registered three separate cases in connection with the incident. A video also surfaced in which purportedly showed a man allegedly being beaten up by some people, who were suspected to be drunk, over a parking issue. Union Minister & Chandni Chowk MP, Dr Harsh Vardhan also visited the area this morning.
As the communal tension gripped the area, Shahi Imam of Old Delhi’s Fatehpuri mosque- Mufti Mukarram Sahab, has condemned the violence. In a video, which was uploaded to youtube, he appealed the people to remain calm. He also said that such issues should not be politicized. The Shahi Imam has also appealed his community members to help the restructuring and rebuilding of the temple.
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