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.[2] The district is 92.4% Hindu and 7.76% Muslim.[3]
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.[4][5][2][6][1] 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.[2][1] 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,[7][1] invoked Section 144 (barring unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, and imposed a curfew in the region.[8][9][10][7]
The police stated that the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal had promised peaceful protests.[1] 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.[2]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Verma, Indian Express 2021.
- ^ a b c d Tiwari, The Quint 2021.
- ^ 2011 Kawardha census.
- ^ "Chhattisgarh's Kawardha tense after violence over removal of religious flags, curfew on". India Today. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "छत्तीसगढ़: कवर्धा में धार्मिक झंडे हटाने को लेकर दो गुटों में झड़प, इलाके में धारा 144 लागू". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ ANI News 2021.
- ^ a b Mishra 2021.
- ^ "Curfew imposed in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha town after communal violence; 15 detained". Hindustan Times. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Curfew In Chhattisgarh Town After Violence During Right-Wing Rally". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ 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.
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