Uttarakhand Police says won’t allow Mahapanchayat, holds flag march in Purola
Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said that all steps have been taken to ensure peace, law and order in Purola
The Uttarakhand Police on Wednesday said that it won’t allow the proposed Mahapanchayat in Purola on Thursday, amid right-wing bodies insisting that they will organise the event. Police beefed up security in Purola and carried out a flag march in the town.
The Uttarkashi district administration on Tuesday denied permission for the Mahapanchayat and imposed Section 144 of CrPC in the town on Wednesday. However, the right-wing organisations announced that they will hold the Mahapanchayat as per their earlier plan.
On Wednesday, police carried out a flag march across the town in the afternoon.
Also Read | Purola tension: Uttarakashi admin denies permission for June 15 maha panchayat
Uttarakhand director general of police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said, “All steps have been taken to ensure peace, law and order in Purola. As section 144 is in force, no gathering or Mahapanchayat will be allowed there. Nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands.”
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Virendra Singh Rawat said, “It’s the administration’s prerogative to impose Section 144 of CrPC but we will hold the Mahapanchayat on June 15 as per the sentiments of the local community. We don’t need permission to hold the Mahapanchayat. Our intention is just to awaken the Hindus who have been at the receiving end of the illegal activities of a particular community.”
“We informed the local administration about the Mahapanchayat through a letter on June 13,” he said.
Meanwhile, Swami Darshan Bharti, a right-wing Hindu leader who is the founder of Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, has been made an accused in the case pertaining to posters asking Muslim traders to vacate the shops in Purola.
Posters threatening Muslim traders to shut shops and leave the state by June 15 had come up at Uttarkashi’s Purola market on June 4. Police subsequently removed them.
On June 5, police registered an FIR against unidentified people under sections 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for putting up anti-Muslim posters.
The Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, whose “courtesy” was given in the posters that came up in Purola asking Muslim traders to vacate before June 15 maha panchayat, had denied its role in the act.
Gajendra Bahuguna, station house officer (SHO) at Barkot police station, said “We have made Swami Darshan Bharti, founder of Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan an accused in the case on Tuesday and served him a notice under Section 41A of CrPC (notice of appearance before the police officer).”
Bharti confirmed the development. “I have been made an accused in the case and received notice under section 41A of CrPC.” “Police personnel have been deployed at my house in Dehradun and they are not allowing me to leave for Purola saying my presence there can disturb peace.”
Meanwhile, a panel of Congress leaders led by the party’s state president Karan Mahara met chief secretary SS Sandhu and DGP Ashok Kumar on Wednesday over the communal tensions in Purola.
Mahara said, “Nobody is supporting the culprits irrespective of their caste or religion. However, it is an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to influence the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”
Mahara demanded the state police chief to take action against those trying to disturb peace and take the law into their hands.
BJP state media in-charge Manveer Chauhan said, “The Congress has no issue to corner the government since the BJP came back into power last year. Law is taking its own course. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has already made an appeal to everyone to not take the law into their own hands.”
Uttarakhand minority commission vice president Mazhar Naeem Nawab on Tuesday wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Dhami over the communal tension in Purola.
He said, “Some Congressmen have been agitating in Purola by impersonation to defame the BJP. Around 45 shops had been damaged. Muslim families have been forced to leave. These families are fearing for their lives. The district president of the minority cell had been forced to leave the town. It is a serious issue for Uttarakhand. You must intervene. Muslims should be provided security and instructions should be issued to the local administration.”
He said the Muslims who are leaving the town should be stopped and they should be taken into confidence. Nawab said that action should be taken against those who post provocative posts on social media.