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A Hindu–Muslim clash occurred in Delhi's Jahangirpuri area on 16 April 2022, in the midst of a Hindu procession on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The clash took place during the last of three processions organised that day by Bajrang Dal, a right wing Hindu group nationalist organization. The procession, whose members were reportedly brandishing swords and pistols, halted near a mosque where Muslims were holding Ramadan prayers, while blasting music from loudspeakers and shouting abusive slogans. A conflict broke out, during which both groups pelted the other with stones and other objects; a few shots were fired as well. A number of people were injured, including a police officer. Twenty three people were arrested, including two juveniles.

On the 19 April, prompted by a complaint from its state president, the Bharatiya Janata Party that controls the local municipal corporation ordered demolition of the houses, shops and structures on the street where riots took place, as they were illegal encroachments. The Supreme Court of India issued a stay order, but some 20 shops and the front of a mosque were demolished, with the drive continuing for over an hour after being stayed by the Supreme Court.

Background

Hanuman Jayanti occurs on the full moon day (Poornima) of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar (usually occurring in March–April). It follows Ram Navami, which occurs on the ninth day (Navami) of Chaitra. In the year 2022, both the festivals fell during the Muslim month of Ramadan, a form of synchronisation that occurs roughly once in 33 years. On the day of Ram Navami, huge processions called Shobha Yatras (processions of pomp and glory) were held by Sangh Parivar organisations around India, and numerous Hindu–Muslim clashes occurred.

Incident

On 16 April 2022, three processions of Hanuman Jayanti, all called "Shobha Yatras", passed through the Jahangirpuri area. The first two, in the morning and in the afternoon, had due permission from the police and went off without an incident. The third procession in the evening, an unauthorised one, took a different route than the first two.

According to the local residents, all three processions were organised by Bajrang Dal. They had participants armed with tridents, swords, knives, baseball bats, hockey sticks and a few country-made pistols. They were dancing to loud music (described as "highly objectionable and provocative") and chanting "Jai Shri Ram". The Muslims alleged that the processionists tried to enter the Kushal Road mosque, and hoist a saffron flag with "Jai Shri Ram" embossed on it, and that clashes started only after the processionists started to desecrate the mosque. According to NewsClick, the third procession did not follow the prescribed route, and there were saffron flags and stones scattered at the entrance of the mosque. The Hindu processionists however insisted that the people from inside the mosque and the adjoining Muslim residents attacked them with stones. A Hindu who had been a part of the procession claimed that the Muslim locals had forced them to take a different route during the first two Shobha Yatras, and that the third time, they had allowed them to follow that route but ambushed them later . According to the processionists, the brandishing of swords and tridents was ceremonial in nature.

Once trouble started, both the groups pelted stones, bricks and beer bottles. A few shots were also fired. Eight police personnel and one civilian were injured according to the police. A sub-inspector received a bullet injury. There were no deaths. Some Hindus also claimed that their properties were damaged or looted by rampaging Muslim men in the evening.

Investigation

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed by police inspector Rajiv Ranjan Singh, who was on the spot. It stated that the procession was "peaceful" until it reached the mosque. Violence broke out after a man named Anshar (or Ansar), accompanied by a few others, started arguing with the members of the procession. It said the argument grew into a riotous situation and stone pelting started from both sides. The police managed to separate the two sides, but after a few minutes, stone pelting started again.

Commentators noted that the FIR leaned towards the version of the events offered by "Hindus" (processionists). It did not mention the brandishing of swords or firearms, playing of provocating songs and slogan shouting. It also did not explain why the permissible route was not followed by the procession. There was also no mention of the efforts to hoist a saffron flag on the mosque. The Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana later dismissed the theory of saffron flags being planted on the mosque as baseless.

Early the next day, 14 Muslim men were arrested. The local residents questioned why only Muslims were being arrested when both the sides were involved in fighting. Ansar was named as a conspirator. His wife, however, claimed that he was called in from home to defuse the situation at the mosque and he later helped police to control the situation. The police state that he had been involved two cases of assault earlier and had been repeatedly arrested under preventive sections. However, the local residents, both Hindu and Muslim, remember him as an extremely helpful person.

Another man named Mohammad Aslam was alleged to have shot a pistol, with the bullet hitting a police sub-inspector. The pistol used in the shooting was recovered by the police.

Yunus Imam alias Sonu Chikna was also arrested after a video was circulated on social media on 17 April showing him firing a pistol during the riots. The police personnel who had gone to arrest him were initially attacked by his family members who pelted stones at the police, according to a spokesperson, who added that one person had been detained and the situation brought under control.

Sheikh Hameed, a scrap dealer, was arrested for supplying glass bottle to be used as missiles. On 18 April, Forensic teams collected samples, took photographs and collected CCTV footage of the riot scene.

Delhi police initially linked Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal for taking out a procession without permission but later retracted the names of the organisations, just stating that the procession was taken out without seeking permission.

On 19 April, National Security Act (NSA) was invoked upon 5 people accused of being the conspirators of this riot. On the same day, police arrested Ghulam Rasool alias Gulli for supplying the pistol used during the riot.

The police also released CCTV footage from the night before the riots, where several men are seen collecting sticks and rods from a nearby garbage dump, which led to an altercation with locals. The police have considered the possibility of the clash being planned well in advance.

On 23 April, Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a money laundering case against Ansar, who is said to have an affluent home at Haldia in West Bengal.

Demolitions

The BJP-controlled North Delhi Municipal Corporation, acting on a complaint by its state party president, issued a late-night order on 19 April 2022, to demolish houses and shops on the street where the riot had occurred, claiming them to be encroachments into public areas. Nine bulldozers rolled into the area by 9:30 am the next day, along with 14 civic teams and 1,500 police personnel, many in riot gear.

This pattern had already occurred in many states during the month of April. Demolition drives had been carried out following communal clashes in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand, all ruled by BJP governments, targeting "one community" (Muslims). A BJP leader revealed to The Indian Express that the Delhi BJP leadership wanted the Yogi Adityanath's model (from Uttar Pradesh) in Delhi, and the central BJP leadership took the decision to go ahead with it.

A petitioner rushed to the Supreme Court of India to stop the demolition. A three judge bench headed by the Chief Justice N. V. Ramana heard the petition. The petitioner's counsel argued:

This is about a completely unconstitutional and illegal demolition which has been ordered in Jahangirpuri area, where riots took place last week. No notice has been served. There is a provision for appeal under the Municipal Corporation Act. We have filed a provisional application (before SC). It was supposed to start at 2 PM but they started the demolition today morning at 9 AM knowing that we will mention .

— Dushyant Dave, Live Law (20 April 2022)

The Chief Justice ordered maintenance of the status quo until the next hearing. But the demolitions did not stop. Officials said that they did not have the court order in hand yet and continued with the demolition. Another hearing and another order to halt the demolition "immediately" were necessary. CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat took a copy of the order, rushed to the demolition site, and stood in front of a bulldozer, asking them to stop.

By this time, some 20 shops were bulldozed as well as the front of the mosque, from where the attacks allegedly took place during the riot. The Hindu temple on the same street was not touched. The officials claimed that they had received the Supreme Court order before they could get to it, though the residents contest this claim. Later, Hindus in the area voluntarily removed the encroached area of the temple.

Notes

1. The songs and slogans used during the Shobha Yatras in April 2022 have been analysed by reporters and commentators. A sample: "Flags will have to be raised at Kashi and Mathura as well." "Enemies of Hinduism will be made to cry tears of blood." "Those who don’t chant Lord Ram’s name, need to be run out of India." "The day my blood boils, I wish to show you your place; Then I will not speak, only my sword will." Channel 4 News described the slogans as "too vicious to broadcast". In contrast, the BJP Vice-President Jay Panda believed the songs were the "equivalent of Christmas carrols".
2. Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has earned the moniker of "Bulldozer Baba" due to his frequent deployment of bulldozers to demolish houses as well as threats to so.

References

1. Delhi Police writes to ED to probe Ansar under PMLA, The Hindu, 22 April 2022.
2. Gerry Shih, Anant Guta, Religious clashes across India spark fears of further violence, The Washington Post, 20 April 2022. ProQuest 2652737669
3. ^ Tarique Anwar, Mukund Jha, Witnesses Narrate How Jahangirpuri Hanuman Jayanti Rally Turned Communal, News Click, 18 Apr 2022. '“The first rally crossed C Block to reach the main road around 1 pm. The second one also passed off peacefully around 4:30-5 pm. The two rallies avoided the mosque. But the third rally, organised by the Bajrang Dal, took the road leading to the mosque with the sole purpose of having a confrontation,” the shop owner alleged.'
4. "Stone pelting, arson at Hanuman Jayanti rally, Delhi Police says situation under control". India Today.
5. ^ Sur, Arnabjit (17 April 2022). "Jahangirpuri violence: Two juveniles among 23 held". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
6. ^ Liz Mathew, Abhinav Rajput, Amit Shah holds meet with Delhi BJP, Panda cites ‘immigrants in Europe’, The Indian Express, 21 April 2022.
7. ^ Sumedha Pal, ‘One Sided Attempt to Target Muslims’: Jahangirpuri Residents Angered by Demolition Drive, The Wire, 20 April 2022.
8. ^ CPM's Brinda Karat Blocks Bulldozer In Delhi, Waves Court Papers, NDTV News, 20 April 2022.
9. Chaitra Purnima 2022 date, time and significance, The Times of India, 15 April 2022.
10. Prior, Katherine (February 1993), "Making History: The State's Intervention in Urban Religious Disputes in the North-Western Provinces in the Early Nineteenth Century", Modern Asian Studies, 27 (1): 179–203, doi:10.1017/S0026749X00016103, JSTOR 312881, S2CID 145336851
11. Abhishek Chakraborty, Alok Ranjan, 10 states, 15 flashpoints, the week that was in India, India Today, 18 April 2022.
12. Tarushi Aswai, ‘Organised Violence’: How Mosques, Dargahs, Muslim Houses Were Vandalised in Gujarat on Ram Navami, The Wire, 12 April 2022. "The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal circulated social media content to invite Hindus to such processions."
13. Tarique Anwar, Ram Navami Violence: Institutionalised Bid to Subvert Democracy; Mobsters Pave Way for Hindu Rashtra, Newsclick, 13 April 2022. "A number of viral videos show Hindutva groups playing loud, objectionable songs through DJs in front of mosques and later desecrating the religious places."
14. Saikia, Arunabh (18 April 2022). "Why two Hanuman rallies went off peacefully in Delhi's Jahangirpuri – but the third sparked trouble". Scroll.in. "At around 6.15 in the evening, the procession stopped near the mosque and two-three boys holding saffron flags tried entering the mosque," said Samsuddin.
15. Mahender Singh Manral, Jahangirpuri violence: Gunman seen in video held; FIR against yatra organisers, The Indian Express, 19 April 2022. 'DCP Rangnani said: “A case under IPC Section 188 has been registered against organisers for carrying out a procession on the evening of April 16 in Jahangirpuri area without any permission. One accused person has joined the investigation. Further investigation is in progress. The other two processions which were carried out in morning and afternoon on April 16 in Jahangirpuri area had due permission.”'
16. Jahangirpuri Violence: Delhi Police Retracts Statement Naming VHP, Bajrang Dal, The Wire, 19 April 2022. "The Delhi Police registered an FIR on Monday against the organisers of a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri, for taking out the rally without permission. This was the second case registered regarding Saturday’s violence."
17. Map: Lynchings to Ram Navami, India’s Muslims now live in fear, The Siasat Daily, 11 April 2022.
18. Paul Oommen, BJP MLA provokes crowd with hate song during Rama Navami procession in Hyderabad, The News Minute, 11 April 2022.
19. Aishwarya Iyer, ‘The day my blood boils’: How songs incited hate at a Navratri rally in Rajasthan's Karauli, Scroll.in, 11 April 2022.
20. India clashes: several confrontations between Hindus and Muslims, Channel 4 News, 23 April 2022. (via youtube.com)
21. Tarique Anwar, Mukund Jha, Witnesses Narrate How Jahangirpuri Hanuman Jayanti Rally Turned Communal, News Click, 18 Apr 2022. '“I have been staying here for the past two decades and have witnessed several Hanuman Jayanti processions. But I have never seen such a huge crowd with a majority of the participants in the rallies wielding swords, knives, baseball bats and hockey sticks,” Mishra, a priest of Sheetla Mata Mandir, at D Block, who was busy performing the Sundarkand Paath on Saturday, told NewsClick.'
22. ^ Saikia, Arunabh (18 April 2022). "Why two Hanuman rallies went off peacefully in Delhi's Jahangirpuri – but the third sparked trouble". Scroll.in.
23. ^ Tarique Anwar, Mukund Jha, Witnesses Narrate How Jahangirpuri Hanuman Jayanti Rally Turned Communal, News Click, 18 Apr 2022.
24. Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Aakash Hassan, ‘Hatred, bigotry and untruth’: communal violence grips India, The Guardian, 18 April 2022. '“A Hindu mob smashed beer bottles inside the mosque, put up saffron flags there and chanted Jai Shri Ram ,” said Tabreez Khan, 39, a witness. “A caretaker of the mosque started resisting them, leading to a brawl. It was only after they started to desecrate the mosque that Muslims got angry and clashes started and stones were thrown.”' Image caption: 'Saffron flags lie outside a mosque a day after communal clashes in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. Photograph: Rishi Lekhi/AP.
25. Saikia, Arunabh. "Why two Hanuman rallies went off peacefully in Delhi's Jahangirpuri – but the third sparked trouble". Scroll.in. Retrieved 23 April 2022. Scroll.in spoke to Hindu men who were part of the procession. They said the brandishing of swords and tridents was merely "ceremonial".
26. "Jahangirpuri violence: Delhi top cop says theory of saffron flags at mosque is baseless". India Today. 18 April 2022.
27. ^ Aniruddha Dhar (17 April 2022). "Jahangirpuri violence 'conspirator' Ansar involved in two assault cases: Delhi Police". Hindustan Times.
28. Laasya Shekhar, Shivangi Saxena, Police ‘abuse’, saffron flags, a mysterious ‘Bangladeshi’ angle: What happened in Jahangirpuri?, Newslaundry, 18 April 2022.
29. "Police custody of two key Delhi violence suspects extended by 2 days: Report". Hindustan Times. 18 April 2022.
30. "On way to detain accused, police team attacked in Delhi's Jahangirpuri". Hindustantimes. 18 April 2022.
31. ^ "Delhi: All hands on deck to nab Jahangirpuri rioters | Delhi News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. 19 April 2022.
32. "'Sophisticated' pistol recovered from Jahangirpuri violence accused: Police". Hindustan Times. 19 April 2022.
33. "Delhi police link VHP, Bajrang Dal to Jahangirpuri violence, soon retract statement". Deccan Herald. 18 April 2022.
34. "NSA slapped on five accused in Jahangirpuri violence case". Hindustan Times. 19 April 2022.
35. Tanseem Haider (19 April 2022). "Jahangirpuri CCTV caught men collecting sticks, rods a day before violence at 2 am". India Today.
36. "On Jahangirpuri violence, ED starts probe against key accused over foreign funds". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
37. Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Aakash Hassan, ‘Hatred, bigotry and untruth’: communal violence grips India, The Guardian, 18 April 2022. 'The wave of violence in recent weeks, added , was evidence that “this anti-Muslim mobilisation ... has also acquired a momentum of its own”.'
38. Gerry Shih, Anant Guta, Religious clashes across India spark fears of further violence, The Washington Post, 20 April 2022. ProQuest 2652737669 'While the country, which has a nearly 80 percent Hindu majority and 14 percent Muslim minority, has experienced far bloodier spasms of religious violence in its history, the scope and intensity of the clashes this month have alarmed observers.'
39. Umang Poddar, Explainer: How the Jahangirpuri demolitions continued despite the Supreme Court stay, Scroll.in, 20 April 2022.
40. Zoya Mateen, Madhya Pradesh: Why an Indian state is demolishing Muslim homes, BBC News, 17 Apr 2022.
41. PTI, "Bulldozer Baba" Yogi Adityanath Comes Back Stronger For Second Term, NDTV News, 25 March 2022.
42. ^ Vishwadeepak, Jahangirpuri: Mandir escapes demolition drive even as Masjid’s front gate destroyed; Muslims unhappy but calm, National Herald, 20 April 2002
43. Shweta Sharma, 'Where is the justice?': Despair after Delhi authorities bulldoze mosque, homes in response to religious riots, The Independent, 21 April 2022. ProQuest 2653416507. "When the bulldozers finally did stop it was outside a Hindu temple in the same block, just 50m from the mosque."
44. "tweet". Twitter (in Hindi). 21 April 2022. जहांगीरपुरी में श्रदधालुओं ने खुद मंदिर के अवैध हिस्से को हटाने का काम शुरू किया, अवैध अतिक्रमण और मस्जिद के आस-पास बुलडोजर चलने से मचा है बवाल [In Jahangirpuri, the devotees themselves started the work of removing the illegal part of the temple, due to illegal encroachment and bulldozers running around the mosque, there is a ruckus]

• Religiously motivated violence in India
• 2022 riots