Ahmedabad: VHP Workers 'Purify' Site With 'Ganga Jal' Where Group of Muslims Read Namaz
Writer: Hladinee Borgohain
I hail from a small oil township in Assam. I am currently in my second year of under graduation pursuing B.A (Hons) Economics in Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, Haryana, India. My interests include arenas that encompasses the field of Gender, Development policy, International economics and Government. In my leisure time I enjoy creating digital art and watching movies, especially in languages that I do not understand.
Gujarat, 17 Nov 2021 12:15 PM GMT | Updated 17 Nov 2021 12:17 PM GMT
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While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
Creatives : Hladinee Borgohain
I hail from a small oil township in Assam. I am currently in my second year of under graduation pursuing B.A (Hons) Economics in Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, Haryana, India. My interests include arenas that encompasses the field of Gender, Development policy, International economics and Government. In my leisure time I enjoy creating digital art and watching movies, especially in languages that I do not understand.
Recently, a video showing four Muslim men and two burqa-clad women performing namaz at the garden of the Vastrapur lake, a popular hangout in the city, went viral on social media platforms.
After a video clip showed some members of the Muslim community performing Namaz at the Vastrapur lake garden in the Gujarat capital, members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) performed a "purification ritual" at the site, as per reports.
"On Monday evening, some VHP workers reached the garden to "purify" the place. They chanted mantras and sprinkled 'Ganga Jal. This was to create awareness among the masses. It is seen that a casual Namaz eventually results in claim being staked on that piece of land," Ashok Raval, secretary, Gujarat VHP, was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
A video of four Muslim men and two burqa-clad women performing Namaz at the posh Vastrapur lake's garden, a popular hangout in the city, went viral on social media platforms. According to the footage, it appeared to have been shot by a resident of the multi-story building near the lake.
Police inspector Sandip Khambhla, Officer in charge of Vastrapur, claimed that no FIR was lodged in this regard. No one has sought the police over the purification carried out by the VHP workers on November 15.
According to some reports, the group might have arrived to see kin admitted to a private hospital near the lake.
Similar Practices
In a similar incident in 2017, seven members of Hindu Mahasabha were detained in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, for purifying the entrance of the Collector's office with 'Ganga Jal' where a group of Muslims offered Namaz, Times of India had reported.
Ashok Pandey, the spokesperson of Hindu Mahasabha, alleged that Muslims had purposely picked the Collectorate to offer Namaz.
Hindu Mahasabha
Local police and administration officials, on the other hand, claimed that some Muslims had come to meet the district magistrate to complain about the water logging in the area. While they were leaving, they offered Namaz there as it was time for prayers.
Meanwhile, according to SSP Aligarh Rajesh Pandey, the Hindu Mahasabha activists were arrested because they did not have the authorisation to organise a "pooja" ritual. However, they were later released.
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