Panchkula, April 17
Brandishing swords, sticks and religious flags, hundreds of workers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal took out a “shobha yatra” in Panchkula today to mark Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti.
The procession, which included open jeeps, tractors and majorly two-wheelers, began from Majri Chowk in Old Panchkula and passed through several sectors before culminating at the Chhat Puja ghat in Sector 21.
Traffic rules were flouted openly. All motorcyclists were without a helmet and were triple-riding with impunity. Moreover, traffic was severely affected in areas from where the rally passed. The rally came on the heels of clashes in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri where violence erupted between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession.
Garvesh Rana, Panchkula district in-charge of the Bajrang Dal, lead the possession. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Panchkula, Mohit Handa said they (organisers) did not take permission for the rally.
“We will take the necessary action. Our immediate priority is to control the procession,” he said, minutes before the procession was about to reach its destination. No FIR was registered in this regard at the time of filing of this report. —
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