By SABRANGINDIA
A mob of people has reportedly damaged graves and put up idols at the 600-year-old Imam Shah Baba shrine in Pirana, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on the night of May 7th night, just shortly after the polling for the 18th Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat ended.
Reports allege that the destruction of the shrine and the installation of the idols at the site led to tensions in the area, with people throwing stones. Following this, the Ahmedabad Police have reportedly detained 37 people connected to this incident. Some policemen also gained minor injuries as they tried to control the incident. After the mob entered and damaged the shrine and graves, The Federal reported that the Muslim trustees and some worshippers opposed the violence as it broke out.
According to Maktoob Media, Azhar Saiyed, a local, stated “We objected to the razing of the graves and demanded restoration. The police officers assured us they will make the trustees rebuild the graves. They have been promising that since early morning, but there has been no action yet.”
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad SP Omprakash Jat has stated on May 8 to the media that the shrine is managed by a trust that has members of both Hindu and Muslim communities, “In the morning, we received information that the religious place was vandalised. A police team soon reached the spot and found that two groups were standing against each other and pelting stones. A few police personnel were also injured in the clash. Troublemakers from both sides have been detained. Strict action will be taken against the accused.” The shrine now has witnessed heavy deployment of the police force.
A right wing Hindutva group, as per The Federal, has in turn claimed that Muslims have destroyed the shrine.
This story was originally published in sabrangindia.in. Read the full story here.
