Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal police to submit a detailed report justifying why an FIR was registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) over a Ram Navami procession.
A bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the police to submit the report along with supporting documents justifying the FIR by April 25. The police were asked to clarify why criminal proceedings were initiated based on the FIR.
It was learnt that the FIR was registered, accusing the VHP of violating the court-imposed restrictions on the Ram Navami procession, especially as regards the maximum number of participants.
The counsel for VHP submitted that while the organizers of the rally maintained the participation level within the limit imposed by the court, a number of people assembled on the roadsides to watch that procession. The counsel is learnt to have submitted that the police registered the FIR showing those onlookers as part of the procession. He claimed that the actual number of participants at the rally was just 303.
A list of participants at the procession along with their supporting identity documents like Aadhaar cards were presented to the court by the counsel in support of his arguments.
Recently, the court permitted the police to continue its probe into the alleged violations of court order by an organisation (Anjani Putra Sena) during the recent Ram Navami rally and submit a report.
The court had prohibited the display or use of any weapon made of metal in the processions. However, in Shibpur of Howrah, a massive procession was organised by the organisation where devotees allegedly carried arms “as a mark of religious pride”.