Civil rights groups in Rajasthan on Saturday demanded refusal of permission to the Hindutva groups for taking out religious processions through Muslim-dominated areas in the wake of communal violence in Karauli. Activists said the participants in these rallies invariably raised abusive slogans, which had often led to clashes.
The demand for a ban on the rallies was made in view of the upcoming festivals of Ram Navmi, Hanuman Jayanti, Vaisakhi and Mahavir Jayanti this month. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) said here that the Bharatiya Janata Party and its affiliates would make “mischievous attempts” to flare up communal passions and trigger violence on festive occasions.
The violence erupted in Karauli, situated 170 km away from Jaipur, after provocative sloganeering by the rallyists outside a mosque on the Navsamvatsar day on April 2. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for the Karauli incidents, saying the party had entered election mode in the State by organising incidents of communal tension and riots.
