On Wednesday evening, at least 20 persons were hurt, including one woman who suffered critical injuries as a result of stone-pelting during a Ram Navami parade in Murshidabad's Rejinagar district. There were allegations of a rudimentary bomb going off as the parade came to a close. However, the cops did not provide confirmation.

“At least 20 people have been injured in the incident. A woman who had received serious injuries has been admitted to Murshidabad Medical College & Hospital. The rest have been admitted at the local hospital,” a police officer said.

According to sources, miscreants threw stones at the parade from the roof of a house, resulting in violence. Large forces have been deployed in the area. Earlier this week, the Election Commission replaced the DIG of Murshidabad following unrest in the Kamnagar region, where prohibitory orders had been enforced.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had raised concern about possible violence during Ram Navami and accused the BJP of "fomenting unrest to polarize" the Lok Sabha polls, said the EC would have to take responsibility if there was any violence in Murshidabad.

Following the incident in Murshidabad, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari slammed the chief minister, accusing her of incitement and claiming that police shot tear gas shells to disperse the procession.

“Mamata Police joined the miscreants in this ghastly attack and fired teargas shells on Ram devotees to disperse them to ensure that the procession ends abruptly,” Adhikari posted on X .

“This is the result of Mamata Banerjee’s provocation & incitation. For peaceful and incident-free celebration of religious festivals in West Bengal, this state government must be replaced. I would like to urge the Election Commission to kindly take note of the failure on the part of the police,” wrote Adhikari.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya said, “This incident is a fall out of daily probation of Mamata Banerjee against Ram Bhakts. What do you expect in a state where the CM considers Ram naam as a challenge?.”

“Mamata Banerjee’s incompetence in safeguarding Ramanavami Shobha Yatras in West Bengal is appalling. Hindus targeted in Rejinagar, Murshidabad, a minority in the area,” the BJP claimed on its official X handle.

Taking a potshot at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, BJP's IT cell Head Amit Malviya stated, “Mamata Banerjee is a blot on West Bengal. She, once again, failed to protect Ramanavami Shobha Yatras. Hindu devotees targeted in Rejinagar, Murshidabad. Hindus are a minority in this area. Just pointing it out, so that she doesn’t blame the Hindus for the attack on themselves…”

Ram Navami
Image: The Indian Express

He further said, “Mamata Banerjee’s provocative communal speeches are responsible for the attack on the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra in Rejinagar, Murshidabad.”

Last year, during Ram Navami, violence erupted in Hooghly district's Rishra and Shibpur in Howrah, with both communities making claims about where the first stones were hurled.

Recently, local police in Ranchi, Jharkhand, discovered stacks of stones on people's rooftops using drone technology. It was thought that these stones were kept by members of a certain group to hurl stones at the Ram Navami procession. Stone pelting and petrol bomb assaults on religious processions by Hindus in India are not uncommon.

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