13 held after clashes over demolition of dargah in Gujarat’s Somnath district
Somnath (Gujarat): At least 13 people were detained after violent clashes erupted in Gujarat’s Somnath district, when residents of Veraval’s Prabhas Patan area allegedly tried to stop the demolition of a dargah on Monday.
According to officials, during a demolition drive, tensions escalated after a dispute broke out between local residents and staff from the Mamlatdar’s office. Around a hundred women and children gathered to protest, after the dargah's boundary wall was demolished.
Police said the crowd started throwing stones at officials. Security personnel used batons and fired three tear gas shells to disperse the mob and only after the crowd became calmed down, the demolition resumed.
Authorities have cleared the rubble from 11 demolished structures as of Tuesday morning. The demolition sites includes several residences and the sacred site, according to a Madhyamam report.
An FIR was registered at the Prabhas Patan police station based on a complaint by Deputy Mamlatdar Ranjeetsinh R. Kher, who stated that the drive initially targeted illegal encroachments on government land under survey number 831 without incident. The situation turned violent when the operation extended to the dargah. Around 70 to 100 people allegedly surrounded the officials and shouted slogans and pelted stones at the officials.
Cases have been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rioting, unlawful assembly, assault on public servants and endangering life, along with provisions of the Gujarat Police Act. While seventeen individuals have been identified, several other are not named.
Earlier, on September 28, 2024, local authorities had razed nine Muslim religious structures. These structures includes the 1,200-year-old Haji Mangrol Dargah, Shah Silar Dargah, and Garib Shah Dargah, along with a mosque, a 500-year-old graveyard, and 47 homes in the same locality.
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Opposition raking up Dalit CM issue to divert attention: Karnataka Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday accused the opposition of "unnecessarily stoking" the debate over a Dalit Chief Minister to deflect attention from governance.
He asserted that only the Congress has the commitment to elevate a Dalit leader to the top post.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the ongoing discussion on a Dalit Chief Minister was being amplified by opposition parties.
“This is the work of the opposition. To hide their own failures, they are raising the issue of the Chief Minister. Isn’t the administration running smoothly? Isn’t the Chief Minister governing?” he asked.
The Minister noted that for the past 10–12 days, detailed budget discussions had been held across departments and governance was progressing normally.
Parameshwara, who is a Dalit, said the Congress alone had the history and political will to make a Dalit Chief Minister.
“Yes, it must be the Congress party. Who else will do it?” he said, while clarifying that the timing of any such decision would be determined by the party high command.
On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s media statement targeting the JD(S) and invoking social justice, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah had earlier been part of the JD(S) and even served as its president before being expelled.
He noted that the internal history of that party was best known to those within it and declined to comment on specific internal matters.
Defending the Chief Minister’s ideological position, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah’s politics had always been rooted in social justice and that there was nothing new or opportunistic about his stance.
The Chief Minister, he said, had consistently built his political career on that foundation.
