India: 13 Arrested After Clashes Over Dargah Demolition in Gujarat
India: 13 Arrested After Clashes Over Dargah Demolition in Gujarat
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At least 13 people have been arrested following violent clashes in Gujarat’s Somnath district on Monday, after residents in Veraval’s Prabhas Patan area allegedly tried to stop officials from demolishing a local dargah, Maktoob Media reported.
Authorities said tensions escalated when a dispute between residents and officials from the Mamlatdar’s office turned violent. As the boundary wall of the dargah was demolished, around 100 women and children gathered in protest. Police reported that the crowd began pelting stones, prompting a lathicharge and the firing of three teargas shells to disperse them.
According to The Indian Express, the situation was later brought under control, and the demolition resumed. By Tuesday morning, debris from 11 structures—including houses and the religious site—had been cleared.
An FIR was filed at the Prabhas Patan police station against 17 named individuals and others for rioting, unlawful assembly, and assaulting public servants under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Gujarat Police Act.
The incident follows a 2024 wave of demolitions in the same area, which included several centuries-old Muslim shrines and homes, sparking ongoing communal tension.
