Clashes erupt over dargah demolition in Gujarat's Somnath, 13 arrested

Gandhinagar: Violent clashes erupted in Gujarat’s Somnath district on Monday, November 10, after residents of Prabhas Patan area in Veraval allegedly attempted to stop officials from demolishing a dargah, resulting in the arrest of 13 individuals.

The situation turned tense after a conversation between locals and Mamlatdar office staff turned into an altercation. Nearly 100 women and children gathered after officials began demolishing the boundary wall of the dargah.

A while later, the police alleged that the crowd started pelting stones at them, responding to which the police resorted to lathi charge and fired tear gas shells at the crowd, the Indian Expressreported.

According to the police, the situation was later brought under control, and the demolition drive was resumed.

By Tuesday morning, debris from the 11 demolished structures, including houses and the religious site, was cleared.

An FIR was lodged at the Prabhas Patan police station based on a complaint by Deputy Mamlatdar Circle Officer Ranjeetsinh R Kher.

The complaint stated that officials had cleared illegal constructions on government land listed under survey number 831 earlier in the day without any disturbance.

However, in the evening, when the team started demolishing the dargah, a crowd of 70–100 people gathered, shouted at the officials, and later threw stones.

A total of 17 named persons, along with unidentified members of the crowd, have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing public servants, endangering lives, and causing injuries to officials. They also face charges under Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act.

Police said the area is still under tight watch, and more arrests may follow as the inquiry continues.

This incident comes after previous tensions on September 28, 2024, when authorities demolished nine Muslim religious sites, including the 1,200-year-old Haji Mangrol Dargah, Shah Silar Dargah, Garib Shah Dargah, and Jafar Muzaffar Dargah, along with a mosque, a 500-year-old graveyard, and 47 houses in the same locality.

It has been alleged that these demolitions continued despite a Supreme Court order against “bulldozer justice” without proper legal process.

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