Communal tension flared in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district late on 7 September night after a Ganesh idol immersion procession was reportedly targeted with stones, injuring three persons.

Police officials said that the situation was brought under control following the deployment of a heavy security force and a flag march in the area. At least three people were injured in the incident, and they have been admitted to the district hospital.

The incident occurred at Pratima village, about 20 km from the district headquarters, at around 10 p.m., when a procession was moving towards a local river for the immersion of Lord Ganesha idols. As the procession passed through Pathani Mohalla, an unidentified group of people began pelting stones, leading to a tense standoff between the two communities. Three individuals were injured and immediately shifted to the district hospital for treatment. The incident led to communal tension in the area as a large number of people from both communities gathered.

Senior administrative officials, including Additional Collector Veer Singh Chouhan and Additional Superintendent of Police Antar Singh Kanesh, rushed to the scene to bring the situation under control. A senior police official confirmed that the situation is now peaceful but that a substantial security presence remains in the area. The spot where the incident occurred has been declared a prohibited zone, and a flag march was carried out late in the night to prevent further escalation. “Although the situation is currently under control, a significant police presence has been deployed. Investigations into the incident are ongoing, and CCTV footage is being scrutinised to identify those responsible,” a senior police official told reporters on 8 September.

Burhanpur MLA Archana Chitnis visited the site, interacted with locals, and appealed to them not to engage in violence. She remained there until early Monday morning, considering the tense situation. The senior BJP leader stated that some anti-social elements attempted to disturb law and order and create communal tension. “In Burhanpur, we usually celebrate all festivals peacefully, and people have no issues with each other’s festivities. Unfortunately, yesterday a regrettable incident occurred during the immersion of Lord Ganesha’s idol, when stone pelting created a tense situation in the village,” Chitnis told IANS on 8 September.

She further said that a similar incident had taken place last year as well. “Last year, when stones were pelted during the immersion of Ganesh idols, I had demanded that those responsible be punished. That did not happen. The government must take strict action to prevent any such incidents in the future,” she said.

-IANS

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The post Stone-Pelting During Ganesh Immersion Triggers Communal Unrest In Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh appeared first on The Commune.

Renowned Pakistani doctor Sheikh Ahmad Mahmood, belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya community, was shot inside Sargodha’s Fatima Hospital in the Punjab province by extremist elements because of his faith, according to local media reports.

The police report stated that the gunman, on Friday, arrived at the hospital dressed in the uniform of “Clean Punjab Program” staff, approached the deceased and shot him two times in the back while saying: “I won’t spare you today, Mahmood,” critically damaging his internal organs. The doctor was taken to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The attacker fled the scene after the fatal shooting with another person who arrived on a motorcycle.

In a press release issued by the Ahmadiyya community, the doctor had been receiving threats for some time from extremist elements because of his faith, and they were forcing him to change the location of his job. “He was a very charitable person and had no enmity with anyone,” the Ahmadiyya community spokesperson said about the deceased, who was killed because of his faith. According to the community, this was the third Ahmadiyya to be targeted in the past month. “The sudden increase in the continuous target killing of Ahmadis due to differences in faith indicates a systematic wave. This is increasing the sense of insecurity among Ahmadis. This requires immediate attention and effective measures from the law enforcement agencies. The continuous increase in hate incidents against Ahmadis is condemnable. The higher authorities should take notice of these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice according to the law,” the statement read.

The spokesperson alleged that extremist elements were functioning against Ahmadiyya in Sargodha as well as in other areas, with frivolous cases being registered against them, and hate speeches were made to prevent the community from observing their religious rituals. Reports suggested that last month, a 46-year-old businessman was lynched when a few hundred supporters of a religio-political party stormed a place of worship belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Karachi’s Saddar area to prevent them from performing religious rituals.

In March, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in a report titled ‘Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023-24‘, revealed that freedom of religion or belief remains under constant threat in Pakistan, with religiously motivated violence and discrimination increasing yearly. The report cited an increasing trend of mob-led attacks on the homes of families belonging to religious minorities, as well as their places of worship.

-IANS

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The post Minority Ahmadi Doctor Gunned Down In Pakistan Over His Faith appeared first on The Commune.