Violence during Muharram procession in outer Delhi

At least a dozen people, including police personnel, were injured at Nangloi in outer Delhi after some people who were allegedly part of a Muharram procession pelted stones on being stopped from deviating from the route prescribed for them, police officers aware of the incident said on Saturday.

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Police said the incident occurred at around 5.30pm on the main Rohtak Road near Maharaja Surajmal Stadium, and some vehicles, including police vans and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, were also damaged. They said they resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control.

Purported videos of the incident were shared on social media, but HT was unable to independently verify their authenticity.

Giving details of the incident, deputy commissioner of police (outer) Harendra Kumar Singh said around 10,000 people, who were part of multiple Muharram processions were peacefully carrying out their processions on routes mutually decided upon in coordination meetings with the police ahead of the religious day.

However, said Singh, some people belonging to one procession became unruly, and at around 5.30 pm, tried to deviate from the route and tried to enter Maharaja Surajmal Stadium. When they were stopped, they began pelting stones at the police and volunteers present at the spot, the DCP said.

“To ensure the safety and security of passersby on the road, the unruly mob was dispersed by police with mild use of force, and order was restored immediately. The Tazia processions were subsequently peacefully conducted in the area as per customs and religious practices,” said Singh.

Six police personnel and six volunteers, including five women, sustained minor injuries while containing the situation, officers said.

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After the incident, hundreds of police personnel were deployed in and around the spot to maintain law and order and to ensure that no further untoward incident took place, and to ensure that the incident did not snowball into communal violence, senior police officers said.

The Delhi Police top brass, including special commissioners of police (law and order) Sagar Preet Hooda and Deependra Pathak and joint commissioner of police (western range) Chinmoy Biswal, accompanied by some DCPs, remained present in the area till late night and carried out a foot march as part of their area dominance strategy.

“The situation is currently under control but we are keeping a close vigil. Those involved in the violence will be identified and dealt with as per law. Whether the violence was planned will also be part of our probe,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be named.