By SABRANGINDIA
Mumbai seems to be bristling with tension. Hindutva outfits are trying to organise a shobha yatra, with Telangana BJP leader, T Raja Singh, infamous for making anti-Muslim hate speeches, as a main speaker in Mumbai’s Mira Road.
Initially, T Raja Singh, had been denied permission on February 21 by the police who rejected the application of Hindu Jan Akrosh Morcha to hold a rally in the Mira Road neighbourhood which is trying to come to a semblance of normalcy after in late January, 2024, the area in the heart of Mumbai recently experienced a surge of unrest and violence , as a Hindutva mob reportedly engaged in the brutal vandalism, assault, and burning of Muslim-owned establishments and vehicles.
Singh had announced his intention to conduct a ‘sabha’ in the volatile neighbourhood after posting a video on his social media. Originally scheduled for February 19, the programme was eventually postponed to February 25. In a message to his followers, he declared, “Chalo, let’s introduce people to our power on the 25th,” and had urged the police not to delay granting permission for the gathering.
Starting with Jai Sri Ram, members of the Sakal Hindu Samaj held a press conference, talked about the court hearing, and stated, ‘Today we have gotten permission. The police refused permission citing the ‘bhadkau bhashan’ (inflammatory speech) amd ‘dangey’ (riots) around Pran Pratistha, but the Bombay High Court stated that when the sabha happened in Chopda (located in Jalgaon district) and other places, there was no communal incident, you cannot stop a sabha from happening based on the potential that it might happen. And the duty to maintain law and order is of the police. And on this, our permission was granted. We, Raja bhaiya (T Raja Singh), and the organisers, have to give an undertaking to the police that no ‘hate speech’ or any incendiary bhashan will be given. Our message to the Hindu samaj is this that on Shivaji Maharaj’s jayanti this programme will take place and will speak about his bravery and will also talk about the attacks taking place against the Hindu samaj.”
This announcement had raised concerns among the local populace, especially given Singh’s controversial reputation and high number of criminal cases against him in light of the recent incidents of violence in Mira Road.
This story was originally published in sabrangindia.in. Read the full story here .