2021 Kawardha Riots
Ramesh Sharma (IAS)
Sandip Garg (IPS)
The 2021 Kawardha riots were incidents of religious violence between Hindus and Muslims that occurred in Kawardha, Chhattisgarh, India, between 3 and 7 October 2021.
Background
Kawardha is a small city in the Kabirdham district of Chhattisgarh. It is the home of former state Chief Minister Raman Singh and Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar. The district is 92.4% Hindu and 7.76% Muslim.
Incident
On Sunday, 3 October 2021, a group of Muslims and Hindus had an argument over the placement of religious flags in Loahara Naka Chowk in the town of Kawardha. An eyewitness claimed that following the altercation, a green flag had been torn down, and some hours later, a saffron flag was removed in retaliation. Two days later, right-wing organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, held a rally protesting the flag removal. The rally led to civil unrest in the region, including arson and rioting. The police conducted a lathi charge to disperse the protestors, invoked Section 144 (barring unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, and imposed a curfew in the region.
The police stated that the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal had promised peaceful protests. They registered a First Information Reports against several people, including Santosh Pandey, a Member of Parliament, and Abhishek Singh, a former Member of Parliament, both of whom were from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
References
Citations
- ^ Verma, Indian Express 2021.
- ^ Tiwari, The Quint 2021.
- ^ 2011 Kawardha census.
- ^ "Chhattisgarh's Kawardha tense after violence over removal of religious flags, curfew on". India Today. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "छत्तीसगढ़: कवर्धा में धार्मिक झंडे हटाने को लेकर दो गुटों में झड़प, इलाके में धारा 144 लागू". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ ANI News 2021.
- ^ Mishra 2021.
- ^ "Curfew imposed in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha town after communal violence; 15 detained". Hindustan Times. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "Curfew In Chhattisgarh Town After Violence During Right-Wing Rally". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ TOI 2021.
Sources
- Tiwari, Vishnukant (9 October 2021). "After Communal Tensions in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha, Cops Book Over 90 People". The Quint.
- "FIRs registered against thousands including former, current MP in Kawardha riots, says SP Mohit Garg". ANI News. 10 October 2021.
- "FIR against Raman Singh's son, BJP MP for clashes in Kawardha". The Times of India. 9 October 2021.
- Verma, Gargi (6 October 2021). "Argument over flags erupts in communal violence in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham". Indian Express.
- Mishra, Ritesh (7 October 2021). "Uneasy calm in Chhattisgarh's violence-hit Kawardha town". The Hindustan Times.
- "Chhattisgarh Police targeting only BJP people, alleges MP Santosh Pandey". Times Now. 11 October 2021.
- "Kawardha Population, Caste Data Kabirdham Chhattisgarh". Census of India. 2015.
External links
- Disturbing visuals coming from Kawardha. Free Press Journal. 2021 – via YouTube.