2021 Kawardha riots

The 2021 Kawardha riots were incidents of religious violence between Hindus and Muslims that occurred in Kawardha, Chhattisgarh, India, between 3 and 7 October 2021.

2021 Kawardha riots and unrest
Part of religious violence in India
Date3 October 2021 (3 October 2021)[1]
Location
Kawardha, Chhattisgarh

22.02°N 81.25°E / 22.02; 81.25
GoalsArson, stoning, civil unrest and rioting
Resulted in
Parties
Authority
Protestors
Lead figures

Ramesh Sharma (IAS)

Abhishek Singh

Sandip Garg (IPS)

Background

Kawardha is a small city in the Kabirdham district of Chhattisgarh. It is the home of former state Chief Minister Raman Singh and Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar.[2] The district is 92.4% Hindu and 7.76% Muslim.[3]

Incident

On Sunday, 3 October 2021, a group of Muslims and Hindus had an argument over the placement of religious flags in Loahara Naka Chowk in the town of Kawardha.[4][5][2][6][1] An eyewitness claimed that following the altercation, a green flag had been torn down, and some hours later, a saffron flag was removed in retaliation.[2][1] Two days later, right-wing organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, held a rally protesting the flag removal. The rally led to civil unrest in the region, including arson and rioting. The police conducted a lathi charge to disperse the protestors,[7][1] invoked Section 144 (barring unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, and imposed a curfew in the region.[8][9][10][7]

The police stated that the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal had promised peaceful protests.[1] They registered a First Information Reports against several people, including Santosh Pandey, a Member of Parliament, and Abhishek Singh, a former Member of Parliament, both of whom were from the Bharatiya Janata Party.[2]

References

Citations
  1. Verma, Indian Express 2021.
  2. Tiwari, The Quint 2021.
  3. 2011 Kawardha census.
  4. "Chhattisgarh's Kawardha tense after violence over removal of religious flags, curfew on". India Today. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  5. "छत्तीसगढ़: कवर्धा में धार्मिक झंडे हटाने को लेकर दो गुटों में झड़प, इलाके में धारा 144 लागू". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  6. ANI News 2021.
  7. Mishra 2021.
  8. "Curfew imposed in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha town after communal violence; 15 detained". Hindustan Times. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  9. "Curfew In Chhattisgarh Town After Violence During Right-Wing Rally". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  10. TOI 2021.

Sources
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