The Meerut administration has denied permission to few Hindu groups, who were planning to hold a ‘jagran’ (night-long Hindu ritual) in a Muslim-dominated locality Hashimpura on the eve of Eid ul-Fitr, police said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) city, Vineet Bhatnagar said on Thursday that there was no possibility of allowing such an event.
“There are clear guidelines which state that no new tradition can be allowed. We have to ensure that any activity that threatens communal harmony is not allowed. In case things escalate, we have authority to take action.”
BJP leader, Kamal Dutt Sharma, in a video that has gone viral on social media, can be seen in a heated argument with the police on the issue of holding the jagran.
He tells the police official, “We don’t need permission to hold religious programmes. What difference does it make whether the area is dominated by Muslims or Hindus? Both are Indians. We will go ahead with the programme.”
In an alleged audio clip, Deepak Sharma, a district-level BJP functionary, can be heard threatening the police and saying, “If we cannot hold a Hindu ritual during Yogi Adityanath’s government, when can we do it? It is not something unusual as we have organised such events earlier. Around 25 Hindu families reside in Hashimpura, which has about 10,000 Muslims. Does that mean Hindus cannot hold religious events?”
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)
