VHP takes out Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri amid tight security
Police said that stringent security measures were implemented in Jahangirpuri area for the VHP's Hanuman Jayanti procession.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) held a 'Shobha Yatra,' a procession on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, in the riot-hit Jahangirpuri area of the national capital on Thursday. The right-wing outfit took out the procession after Delhi Police allowed it within a certain distance in the same locality.
"The procession organisers will follow the approved routes. Around 200-300 people will participate in one procession and around 500 people are expected to take part in another procession," DCP was quoted by ANI as saying.
Police said that stringent security measures were implemented in the area for the Hanuman Jayanti procession. "The route has been prepared. In order to maintain law and order, permission has been given to take out the Shobha Yatra within a certain distance. Discussion held with the organising committee and an appeal have been made to take out the Yatra as per law and order," said Delhi Police
On Wednesday, the police had initially declined permission for the VHP and another group to conduct processions in the Jahangirpuri area due to past instances of communal clashes. However, the Delhi Police subsequently granted permission for the procession to take place within a certain distance. The police have also conducted a flag march in the Jahangirpuri area to promote communal harmony, keeping in mind the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations on Thursday.
Last year on April 16, clashes erupted between two communities during a procession on Hanuman Jayanti in the same area. Eight police personnel and a local resident were injured in the violence.
On Hanuman Janmotsav, devotees from all over the country visited temples to offer prayers. The Bajrang Dal, which is the youth wing of VHP, conducted a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi's Nandnagri area.
In light of the recent clashes that occurred during the Ram Navami procession in West Bengal and Bihar, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory to all states to maintain law and order during Hanuman Janmotsav. The advisory emphasized peaceful observance of the festival and the monitoring of factors that could disrupt communal harmony.
Officials said that security forces were maintaining high alertness in West Bengal for the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations on Thursday, reported PTI.
The state police were assisted by central armed police forces deployed in Kolkata, Hooghly, and Barrackpore to prevent any violence in light of the clashes that had occurred during the Ram Navami celebrations. As many as 500 Hanuman Jayanti programmes were organised across the state by the VHP.
(With inputs from agencies)