Islamic supremacy and violation of infidel laws.
Muslim crowds protesting restrictions on offering Islamic prayer, namaz, on public roads clashed violently with police at Kolkata’s Muslim-dominated Park Circus seven-point crossing on the evening of Sunday, May 17. The Muslim mob hurled stones and bricks at security personnel and damaged several vehicles, including police and CRPF vehicles, thereby forcing authorities to resort to lathi (baton)-charge operations to contain the mayhem and restore order. According to police officials, at least three police personnel sustained severe injuries during the jihadis’ attack.
The unrest occurred amid growing tensions over state government directives regarding the use of public roads for religious gatherings. The administration recently instructed local authorities and police to prevent large-scale roadside namaz gatherings that disrupt traffic and public access, which had been a regular spectacle on Fridays in the city for the longest time. Officials stated that prayers should be conducted within mosque premises or designated community spaces, rather than on busy roads and intersections. The government also directed police to ensure that loudspeaker sound from religious places, including mosques, remains within prescribed noise limits. The directive immediately triggered strong opposition from several Muslim organizations and local groups.
Tensions had already been brewing since Friday in other Muslim-dominated parts of Kolkata, such as Rajabazar, Topsia, and parts of central Kolkata, where massive Muslim mobs gathered on busy streets to offer Jumma namaz (the Friday congregational prayer) despite restrictions. The previous West Bengal government’s longstanding reluctance to act against such disruptive Muslim crowds, coupled with a pattern of forcing ordinary citizens to accommodate Muslims’ demands, had emboldened them to openly defy official advisories and administrative orders.
Eyewitnesses recounted that roads in Rajabazar were packed with Muslims offering namaz and creating severe traffic disruptions for hours at a stretch on Friday. The situation was so critical that police forces had to be deployed in the area to ensure roads remained accessible, but the skull-capped mob took to the streets in massive numbers, and continued prayers on public roads in defiance of the administration’s order. Videos showing large crowds occupying significant stretches of road during prayer times, intensifying the political and communal debate surrounding the issue, have been widely shared on social media. This defiance escalated into outright jihadist hooliganism by Sunday.
While the protest began as a demonstration against administrative guidelines, it rapidly escalated as Muslims gathered in large numbers near the Park Circus crossing and completely blocked traffic movement. Police and CRPF personnel had already been deployed heavily in anticipation of unrest following Friday’s developments. Authorities attempted to convince demonstrators to vacate the roads and disperse peacefully, but the situation turned violent, and the crowd began throwing stones and bricks at the police. --->READ MORE HERE
The protest took place at Seven-Point Crossing in the Muslim-dominated Park Circus area amid simmering tension in the city since Friday, when a group of people clashed with police over the government’s ban on offering prayers on roads.
A protest against the recent demolition drive in Tiljala, and the new BJP government’s ban on offering namaz on the roads, turned violent in Kolkata’s Park Circus area on Sunday, leaving three police personnel injured and several vehicles damaged. At least 20 people have been arrested, said police.
The protest took place at Seven-Point Crossing in the Muslim-dominated Park Circus area amid simmering tension in the city since Friday, when a group of people clashed with police over the government’s ban on offering prayers on roads.
The protesters claimed that since the BJP came to power in the state, there has been a “well-planned attempt to undermine the rights of minorities”. They said that recent administrative strictures curbing the use of loudspeakers were aimed at the azan and namaz.
Hours before the protest, the administration had bulldozed shops and stalls near Howrah and Sealdah railway stations late Saturday night.
Former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee took to X to condemn the demolition drives, saying the poor were paying the price of “political arrogance”. --->READ MORE HERE
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment