Telangana BJP legislator T. Raja Singh made communal remarks at a rally in Mira Road on Sunday despite the Bombay High Court granting permission for the event to commemorate the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the condition that no hate speeches would be delivered.
“Many tried to stop me from entering Mira Road but no power could stand before your love. We must pledge till our last breath that we will save Hindu rashtra, we must fight against love jihad and cow slaughter, and safeguard our religion. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was known for torturing and killing Hindus, converting their religion, and demolishing our temples,” Mr. Singh said.
The rally also saw provocative songs being played targeting other religious groups and not along Shivaji’s birth anniversary. Music was played to the beating of drums and firecrackers were burst as saffron flags were waved with slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ were raised.
Thousands had gathered for the event from 3 p.m. Party MLA Geeta Jain, who has made provocative speeches in the past, also made communal remarks before the gathering.
“This is the same spot where stones were pelted at Hindus and we have not forgotten. We have come back to finish the unfinished Ram mandir pran pratishtha celebrations and no one can stop us,” Ms. Jain said.
The event also fell on the day of Shab-e-Barat, observed by the Muslim community as the night of forgiveness.
Mira Road had seen communal incidents on the eve of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Ahead of the event, Shrikant Pathak, Additional Commissioner of Police, Mira-Bhayandar, had said, “Around 2,000 police personnel from the reserved police force have been deployed in various spots of Mira Road ahead of Mr. Raja Singh’s speech. As memories of the violence in the area in January are still fresh and we do not want to risk anything. As per the Bombay High Court’s order, Mr. Singh has been instructed not to give any provocative speech that could create unrest in the city. We are extra cautious; the event is being recorded by the police. I am sure nothing will go out of hand this time.”
The High Court had granted permission for a procession and a rally in Mira Road on February 23.
