Clashes erupt between Shia and Sunni Muslims during Muharram in Varanasi

On Saturday, July 29, Muslims belonging to the Shia and the Sunni community clashed with each other during a Tazia procession on the occasion of Muharram in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, both sides indulged in sloganeering while they hurled stones at each other. More than 12 vehicles were torched during the ruckus. Police vehicles have also been pelted with stones. Tazias belonging to both communities were also damaged during the uproar. The incident left several people injured.

UP : वाराणसी में ताजिया जुलूस के दौरान शिया और सुन्नी पक्ष में पथराव। कई गाड़ियों के शीशे टूटे, कई लोग घायल। पुलिस बल मौके पर है, हालत काबू में हैं। pic.twitter.com/ZOrf5e9jRR

— Sachin Gupta (@Sachingupta788) July 29, 2023

Hindi daily Bhaskar reported that the Islamists allegedly raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans while clashing with each other, however, the news outlet said that there was no official confirmation about the same yet.

The report, however, said that after the clash, the people of the Shia community sat on dharna and refused to take the Tazia to Karbala. Only after Police Commissioner Ashok Mutha Jain reached the spot with his force and spoke to the Shia members did they agree to take back their decision.

Giving details of the incident, Jain said that the Tajiya procession was being taken out from the Jaitpura Doshipura at around 2 pm. During this, some members of the Shia and Sunni communities engaged in an argument which quickly converted into a full-fledged clash. The Islamists started throwing bricks and stones to attack each other while shouting slogans.

As soon as the news of the incident spread, the police and RAF team reached the spot. The miscreants who were creating a ruckus were chased away from there. The police spoke to the remaining members of both communities and tried to pacify them. The situation returned to normalcy only by 4 pm in the evening.

Meanwhile, a large number of forces have been deployed in the area to prevent any further untoward incidents.

Police Commissioner Ashok Mutha Jain said that the entire brawl has been captured on the CCTV camera, in which both sides are seen pelting stones. On the basis of the CCTV footage, the police team has started identifying the culprits. The commissioner assured that the miscreants would not be spared.