The Gujarat Police on Monday booked 16 people for attempt to murder in an alleged case of stone pelting at a Shobha Yatra procession in Bhoj village in Vadodara to mark the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, officials said. The First Information Report (FIR) lodged at Vadu Police station states that eight people have been injured in the incident that was "a criminal conspiracy intended to kill persons belonging to the Hindu community participating in the Shobha Yatra". A police constable was also injured in the incident, it stated. It has identified the 16 accused, all residents of Bhoj village and has mentioned 10 other yet-to-be-identified people who were part of the mob that attacked the Shobha Yatra participants. According to the police, tension flared up in the village around 4 pm when the Shobha Yatra passed through the Nagina Masjid lane, where youth from the communities indulged in a heated exchange of words and stones were pelted. "This village has up to 70 per cent population of the minority community. It appears that, on Monday, as the Yatra approached the Masjid lane, there was an altercation between the youth of both communities as some boys from the minority community were watching the yatra pass by. In a matter of about 30-40 seconds, the situation flared up and there was stone pelting. We believe it was a premeditated attack as tension had been brewing in the village since the last few days,” Vadodara Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand told The Indian Express. Anand added that members of the Hindu community, who organised the yatra had also submitted a complaint at Vadu police station of unidentified persons "removing religious flags" put up at the temple ahead of the Shobha Yatra. Anand said, "We had already deployed police personnel, who had spoken to both the communities to ensure law and order. In fact, anticipating trouble, we had even deployed extra security as well as a sub-unit of the SRPF (comprising eight personnel) in the village ahead of the yatra. Yet, about eight people, including five women, suffered minor injuries." The FIR filed by a head constable of the Vadu police station states, "A police constable of the Vadu police station also sustained injuries on the left side of his back in the stone pelting. On January 18, the flags of Lord Ram and garlands put up by the Hindu community on the route of the Shobha Yatra were also removed by these people and a complaint has been filed at Vadu police station for the same. The members of the community identified above as well as other persons, as part of a pre-planned criminal conspiracy came together with the intention of killing Hindus participating in the Shobha Yatra of Lord Ram when it passed by the Nagina Masjid in the village. They spoke of 'reducing three to four Hindus so that they do not show off again; kill whoever (you can) lay your hands on' and also abused the participants of the Shobha Yatra while pelting stones and bricks with the intention to kill." Anand, who had also rushed to the village soon after the incident, said the police are carrying out the combing operation in the village to trace the accused and expressed hope to arrest them soon. All accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections for attempt to murder (307), criminal conspiracy [120(b)], unlawful assembly (143), member of unlawful assembly armed with a deadly weapon likely to cause death (144), rioting (147), offence committed by every member of unlawful assembly in prosecution of common object (149), deliberate and malicious acts, that are intended to outrage religious feelings (295A), rioting (147), rioting armed with deadly weapons (148), assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot (152), promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony (153A), voluntarily causing hurt (323), voluntarily causing hurt by the use of a dangerous weapon or means (324), mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees (427), utters any obscene words [294(B)], and statements conducing public mischief [505(A)].
