The police tried to control the situation after a communal clash during Ram Navami procession. (PTI photo)
The accused Prakash Pandya was part of a procession taken out to celebrate the festival on April 10 and was allegedly seen carrying a sword in a CCTV camera.
- PTI Ahmedabad
- Last Update:25 May 2022, 23:22 IST
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The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday rejected the regular bail plea of an accused in the communal clash that took place in Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district on Ram Navami last month. The accused Prakash Pandya was part of a procession taken out to celebrate the festival on April 10 and was allegedly seen carrying a sword in a CCTV camera.
The procession was attacked, leading to a communal clash, following which an FIR was registered for the rioting. Justice Sameer Dave dismissed Pandya’s bail plea at the entry stage and directed the petitioner to approach the court after the charge sheet was filed in the case. “I (the customer) had a sword in my hand. This is seen from the CCTV footage,” counsel for the petitioner told the HC, adding that when the procession was attacked, the entire crowd panicked.
The lawyer, defending his client, said, “On occasions like Ram Navami and Guru Nanak Jayanti, people carry these weapons (swords) with them in Shobha Yatra (procession).” The Ram Navami procession was taken out with the permission of the police, but he claimed that the state authorities were not able to provide security for the event.
11 people were arrested in connection with the clash in Himatnagar. Apart from Himmatnagar, communal violence was also witnessed in Anand district’s Khambhat town on Ram Navami, in which one person was killed and several vehicles and shops were damaged.
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