By Sana Ejaz
Hindu men in Bihar’s Dharharwa village allegedly attacked Muslims over the use of loudspeakers. At least 5 people have been reportedly injured, including policemen in the violence occurred on 3 March.
The village comes under the Parihar police station located near the Indo-Nepal border of Sitamarhi district.
Locals told Maktoob the root cause of the tensions began when police forcibly removed the loudspeakers used by Hindu groups for the nine-day religious procession called “Navaha Yagya”. Apparently, the loudspeakers used to play hymns and kirtans were operated even after permitted days.
In reaction to the police action, a mob attacked the mosque alleging Muslims of filing police complaints against the Hindu procession.
Tensions escalated during the evening call for prayer. The mob raided the mosque and demanded to stop using loudspeakers for Azan (call for prayer). The mob also attacked the police when they reached out to resolve the matter.
Section 144 is imposed in the village after evening.
“The Dharharwa village has only 2% Muslim population and only 14 houses belonging to Muslims near the mosque,” said a resident who is out of the village due to the fear of further riots.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here