Religious processions banned in Odisha's Sambalpur for 1 year; Details inside-

NewsBharati    21-Jul-2023 11:35:13 AM
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The Sambalpur district admin has decided not to allow any significant religious procession, including Muharram on July 29, for a period of one year beginning Thursday in order to maintain calm in the western Odisha city, according to a top official. 
 
sambhalpur 
 
Smaller Muharram processions in villages will be permitted, but those merging into a bigger procession, which was previously permitted, will not be permitted this year, according to Sambalpur district Collector Ananya Das. Following communal confrontations in the city during Hanuman Jayanti in April, the decision was made.
 
Das stated that the decision was made during a peace committee meeting with members from both groups.
"Because of the sensitive situation in Sambalpur, joint (convergent) processions will not be permitted during Muharram." "The festival will be celebrated at the local level in each locality," she explained.
 
According to Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo, maintaining communal harmony is critical, and peace should reign in the city.
 
Large Hanuman Jayanti processions would also be prohibited next year as a result of the decree.
 
Muharram processions in Sambalpur begin in several locations and unite at Golebazaar Chowk before proceeding together to Peer Baba Chowk.

‘Decision Seen as Weakness of Odisha Govt & Odisha Police’

 
Article 25 of the Constitution of India states that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion subject to public order, morality, and health. The Constitution of India envisions a secular model and provides that every person has the right and freedom to choose and practice their religion. The Constitution also provides freedom to manage religious affairs, freedom from payment of taxes for the promotion of any particular religion, and freedom to attend religious instructions.
But Subsequent attacks on People of the Hindu community during peaceful processions by Muslims using stone-pelting as a tool, particularly during Ramanavami & Hanuman Jayanti to terrorize Hindus have raised serious questions on the capability of BJD Govt under CM Naveen Pattanaik including Odisha Police to maintain rule of law in the state even after previous intelligence inputs by its state intelligence apparatus which comes under direct office of CM Naveen Pattanaik.

The biggest reason for this issue is appeasement politics & designating a particular minority community as a “Vote Bank” & then appeasing them.

When a certain group of citizens of a state commits crimes irrespective of religion to hamper or stall a Constitutional right of another group of citizens, the law of the land needs to be imposed in a harshest possible way so that such attacks don’t happen again.

But appeasement politics based on Vote banks & inaction of the BJD Govt & Odisha Police to impose the rule of law so that citizens practice their religious affairs without any hindrance points to the Weakness of the ruling dispensation.

Thus, banning religious processions or Pujas / religious practices for a period of time hiding behind the bogey of “maintaining communal harmony” is nothing but a weak display of the state government’s inability to maintain law & order.

Religious processions Odisha Sambalpur