The Union Home Ministry has asked for a report on the recent violence during Ram Navami in Bengal from the state government. Clashes between two groups broke out on Thursday during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah. Several vehicles were set on fire, and shops were ransacked. More violence was reported the next day, despite police and riot control force deployments. The violence has sparked a political controversy between the Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP, with the former accusing the latter of orchestrating the violence.
The Calcutta High Court has also asked for a report on the violence after the state BJP filed a petition seeking an investigation by the National Investigation Agency. The BJP has contested the claim made by the Trinamool Congress that the Ram Navami procession had taken a wrong and unauthorized route. State BJP President Sukanta Majumdar stated, “TMC is lying because it was not the wrong route. There was permission till Howrah ground and this was the only route to go there,” as reported by news agency ANI. It is worth noting that Bengal had last witnessed communal riots during the Ram Navami celebrations in 2018, a year ahead of the general elections.
Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of orchestrating the violence during Ram Navami celebrations in Bengal and has cited videos apparently showing a group of men wielding guns. Senior Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee has questioned how a Ram Navami rally could take place with guns and pistols. The BJP, however, has contested the claim and stated that there was permission for the rally to take the route it did. The violence has led to a political slugfest between the two parties.