In the Manjhanpur town of Kaushambi district, tension flared suddenly on Friday evening (September 19) after the Friday prayers. When the prayers concluded, a group of youths later took out a procession without permission and began raising provocative and radical slogans. Among them were chants like “Gustanke-nabi ki ek hi saja, sar tan se juda sar tan se juda”. Once videos of the procession went viral, Hindu organisations expressed anger and demanded strict action.
Based on the video evidence, police swung into action and, late at night, on the orders of SP Rajesh Kumar, registered a case against 15–20 unidentified individuals. During the investigation on Saturday morning (September 20), police detained 10 people, including three youths and seven minors. Prominent among the accused are Mohammad Faiz of Nizampur Puraini (Pipri police station area), Nayab Ahmed of Mansoor Nagar (Manjhanpur), and Mohammad Saif of Naya Nagar.
Following the incident, Ved Prakash Satyarthi, district convener of the Hindu Raksha Samiti, released a video on social media. He said such sloganeering was spreading fear and anger within the Hindu community. He demanded strict action against the culprits from the police and administration.
Attack on Hindu leader by Muslim women
Meanwhile, the situation escalated further on Saturday. It is alleged that some women from the Muslim community attacked Ved Prakash Satyarthi. He managed to escape and recorded a video of the incident. He later submitted a complaint to the police. Reports suggest that the woman’s anger flared because the video he had circulated on social media had led to the police detaining 10 people.
On the other hand, as the police began proceedings against the detainees, a large number of Muslim women gathered at the police station. Initially, they came in small groups throughout the morning, but by evening more than 200 women had assembled together, raising slogans and demanding the release of those arrested.
Police officials calmed the women down. SP Rajesh Kumar stated that the seven minors in custody admitted their mistake and apologised, after which they were handed over to their families. However, he refused to release the remaining three accused, who remain in police custody.
The SP made it clear that strict action will be taken against anyone disturbing public order and that the culprits will not be spared under any circumstances. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to identify and trace the other accused.
Thus, what began as a minor unauthorised procession with slogans escalated into a tense situation across the town. Although police vigilance and swift action have kept matters under control, the incident has undoubtedly increased tensions between the two communities in the area.
