“This is the first Ram Navami when Ram Lalla has been enthroned in the grand temple in Ayodhya. I know the TMC, as always, has tried its best to stop the Ram Navami celebrations and hatched several conspiracies. But only the truth wins. Therefore, permission has been granted by the court and Ram Navami processions will be taken out tomorrow with full reverence and devotion. I congratulate all my brothers and sisters of Bengal on this occasion,” Modi said at a public meeting in Balurghat in South Dinajpur.
As Banerjee has warned there could be violence during the festival and the BJP has accused the TMC government of minority appeasement, maintaining law and order will be a challenge for police.
At a time when the election campaign is in full swing, many organisations will hold Ram Navami processions in various parts of the state.
The Hindu Jagaran Manch, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has announced processions in every district and at the ward and panchayat levels. Big processions will be taken out in Barasat, Siliguri and Kolkata’s Ram Mandir in Burrabazar.
“Some of our processions are likely to see participation by lakhs of people. It’s a big day for us. As far as maintaining law and order is concerned, police should take care of it. I would just like to appeal to people to ensure that people of all faiths are allowed to celebrate their festivals equally and the others shouldn’t create any hindrance,” Subhajit Roy of the Manch told The Indian Express.
It was on Monday that the Calcutta High Court gave permission to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Anjani Putra Sena to hold Ram Navami processions in Howrah, which saw massive violence and stone-pelting last year, under certain conditions.
“The court has granted the permission, but it has changed the date to April 21. We will be taking out the procession from Narasimha Temple near Avani Mall to Howrah Metro via PM Basti,” said Niraj Agarwal of the Anjani Putra Sena.
Howrah Bajrang Dal pramukh Ravi Chowdhury said, “It is sad that for a simple procession, we had to knock on the court’s door. We welcome the court’s order and processions will be taken out as per the directives given by the court.”
“Ram is a part of our culture. We will definitely take part in the shobha yatra or any other procession whether it is liked or not liked by others. It has nothing to do with elections,” said Vishnu Trivedi, a Howrah resident.
On Monday the chief minister appealed to Muslims to be alert against provocations. “April 17 is a day of rioting for them. I feel this should be a day that should be observed as a day of unity. Even if they abuse you, just keep calm. In the name of Allah, pray and wish for their farewell,” the TMC supremo said while addressing a rally in Alipurduar.
The Opposition BJP was quick to accuse Banerjee of calling Hindus rioters. “In a brazenly communal statement, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, alludes to Hindus as rioters. In a public meeting at Coochbehar, she appeals to the minorities to keep ‘calm’ (on 17th Apr), calls Ram Navami, the day billions of Hindus around the world pray to Bhagwan Ram, as the day of organizing riots… She further adds, even if ‘they’ abuse you, pray to Allah to oust ‘them’ from Bengal. Who are these ‘them’ that Mamata Banerjee wants the minorities to send out of Bengal? The Bengali Hindus? Where will they go? West Bengal was created as a homeland for Hindu Bengalis. Shame on Bengal CM for splitting Bengal into ‘us’ vs ‘them’ and reducing Hindus to second grade citizens,” BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote on his X handle.
Meanwhile, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee extended Ram Navami greetings and said that those “who use religion as shields” were politically bankrupt.
“Tomorrow it’s Ram Navami, I extend my greetings to everyone. While coming here, I saw people selling flags for Ram Navami and those who were selling it are also showering their blessings on the TMC. This proves that people are with the TMC. The BJP wants to use Lord Ram and religion for their political benefits, while we want people’s support on the basis of the work we do for them,” he said at Alipurduar on Tuesday.
“Tomorrow when the shobha yatra will pass from your area, seek blessings from Lord Ram. But make sure to give the BJP a befitting reply and teach them a lesson,” he added.
While there is no restriction on peaceful Ram Navami processions, the police said anyone found flouting law would be strictly dealt with.
“No public display of weapons during processions on the festive occasion will be allowed. Some traditional groups and akharas have been given permission. Even their processions will be videographed,” said a police officer.
As per sources, the district administrations of Hooghly, Howrah, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur, Asansol, and Barrackpore, which have a history of communal flare-ups during Ram Navami celebrations, have been alerted.
Many political leaders will also take part in the Ram Navami rallies on Wednesday.
“The TMC is a secular party, we do not play with the name of Lord Ram. We will surely be part of the celebrations. We must register our presence in every community. However, we will appeal to people not to do anything provocative,” said a TMC leader from Barrackpore.
In the past few years, West Bengal has not only witnessed huge participation in events related to Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti, but also reported several untoward incidents.
Last year violence was reported at Rishra in Hooghly district as well as in Howrah. Central forces were deployed in several sensitive areas on Hanuman Jayanti after judicial intervention.
On March 30 last year, violence broke out during a Ram Navami procession in Dalkhola in North Dinajpur district. The police initially booked 162 people in the wake of communal violence triggered by an attack at Tajamul Chawk, Uttar Dalkhola.
On March 26 in 2018, clashes were reported during a Ram Navami procession at Raniganj in West Bardhaman district. One person was killed and several police officers were injured. Asansol-Durgapur Deputy Commissioner of Police Arindam Dutta Chowdhury was attacked with a bomb and he lost his hand in the attack. The tension then spread to Asansol.
The police also recovered the body of a Muslim man who was killed allegedly in communal violence. Around 60 people were arrested in the case. A day before that, on March 25, 2018, a statue of freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was pulled down and a man was killed, following an armed Ram Navami procession at Kankinara in North 24 Parganas district’s Bhatpara municipality.