Rampage at gurudwara in Maharashtra, sword-wielding mob attacks cops

Nanded: A sword-wielding mob consisting of people from the Sikh community on Monday (March 29) attacked policemen after they refused to let them carry out a religious procession in Gurudwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded.

At least four policemen were injured in the brawl, including bodyguard of the Superintendent of Police of Nanded.

Religious gatherings were barred in the area in view of the spike in COVID-19 cases. But the crowd of about 300 to 400 people tried to enter the gurudwara, breaking the police barricades.

A viral video of the incident showed the mob storming the gurudwara, break barricades and attack the policemen.

"Permission for the Hola Mohalla procession was not granted to them due to the pandemic. The gurudwara committee was informed and they had assured us that they would abide by our directives," a police official was quoted as saying by PTI.

"However, when the Nishan Sahib was brought to the gate around 4 pm, they started arguing and over 300 youth broke the gate and began attacking policeman," he added.

Nishan Sahib is a triangular saffron-coloured flag furling outside a gurdwara on a steel pole covered with a saffron-coloured cloth that is most popularly associated with Guru Hargobind. The flag also has an insignia called Khanda in the middle. The Khanda includes two swords and a chakra.

Several vehicles were also damaged in the violence. An FIR has been registered in the case and the police have initiated a probe into it.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned of strict action against those who flout COVID-19 norms.

He said that the COVID-19 cases are rising because people are not following guidelines seriously that is why strict steps like lockdown are needed to be considered.

Maharashtra reported 40,414 new COVID-19 cases and 108 related deaths in the last 24 hours.