Communal tension prevailed in Hathia Diyara village in Bihar’s Katihar district after some unidentified men filmed women Chhath devotees while they were changing clothes. Complainant Dinesh Shah, one of the eyewitnesses, said that the incident took place during the first “Arghya” (prayer) on the evening of November 20.
“As per the ritual of Chhath Puja, devotees pray for sun only after taking a dip in the water. When the women devotees were changing their clothes after taking dip in the water, over 50 Muslim men shot their video,” Shah alleged.
“When we have raised objection, they attacked us. We have also made videos of them. Now they are threatening me with dire consequences,” Shah said.
Some villagers claimed that the matter was related to land dispute. Some men belonging to the Muslim community reportedly tried to grab the lands of poor Dalits. The outrageous act on the Chhath ghat was a deliberate attempt by them to harass the Dalits.
Amar Kant Jha, the sub-divisional police officer of Katihar, said: “We have taken suo moto cognisance of the matter and registered an FIR against unknown persons under IPC Sections 295 and 295A.
“We have also received a complaint from the villagers, naming seven persons. The matter is under investigation. We have urged both sides to avoid provocation. We have also deployed adequate police force in the village to prevent any untoward incident,” Jha said.
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