Traders Call For Bandh As Communal Clashes Erupt Over Hindu Procession In Maharashtra's Ahmednagar District

A communal clash erupted in the Shevgaon village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra on 15 May when a procession celebrating the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was disrupted while passing by a mosque.

The police said that when the procession reached the Shivaji Chowk area of the town sometime after 8.30 pm, sloganeering of the procession in front of a mosque led to arguments between two groups.

This escalated to stone-pelting, arson and vandalism. Surprisingly, some suspects also wielded sharp weapons, a probe revealed.

Traders in the town have called a bandh following the widespread violence that damaged shops and establishments.

The third FIR was filed in the early hours of Tuesday in connection with arson and vandalism, in which an eatery and an automobile repair garage were set afire and several vehicles and shops were damaged.

Notably, this is not the first time that such communal clashes have been reported following procession of Hindu festivals. Processions by Hindu communities on several occasions across the country have faced stone-pelting and clashes, including during Ram Navami in West Bengal recently.

This drew the ire and contempt of the Calcutta High Court as well.