Four men have been arrested for disturbing peace outside Jamal Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura during a Ram Navami procession, police said, as reported by the news agency PTI. The four were accused of hoisting saffron flags atop shops by a mosque in the city during a Ram Navami procession on Thursday.
According to PTI, the incident happened when the procession, being carried out by the Ram Janma Mahotsav Samiti from the Ram temple located in the Ghiyamandi area, reached the Chowk Bazar intersection. The four accused, who were riding a van, climbed on the roofs of shops outside the mosque and hoisted saffron flags there, police said.
A video of the incident has been doing the rounds on social media. The incident has stoked communal tensions among people of Hindu and Muslim communities, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shailesh Kumar Pandey said heavy police deployment was made on the spot immediately after the incident, PTI reported. The four were identified as Kavya, Honey, Rajesh, and Deepak on the basis of the video and arrested, Pandey said. "The accused were arrested on Friday and sent to judicial custody for disturbing peace," said the officer, as quoted by PTI.
In another incident, several vehicles were set on fire earlier on Thursday after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalised public and private properties and set vehicles on fire. West Bengal Police on Thursday conducted a flag march in Howrah where violence broke out during a Ram Navami procession.