Katihar:A video of people forming a human chain outside a mosque during a Ram Navami procession in Katihar district of Bihar is going viral on social media. While netizens are praising the locals for 'protecting the Muslim place of worship' amid communal riots in the country, it is being said that the human chain was formed to “protect the Ram Navami procession from being attacked”. In the video believed to have been taken on April 10, the same day a communal riot broke out in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone, people, apparently from the Hindu community can be seen forming a human chain on a road where a mosque coloured in green is also located as a procession of Ram Navami passes by amid 'Jai Shri Ram' chants.
The video is said to be of Jama Masjid located on MG Road at Fakiratkia Chowk in Katihar district. Well-known writer Asghar Wajahat and actress Swara Bhaskar praised the people for forming the human chain for the sake of “humanity”. Wajahat said the Hindus standing in front of a mosque in Katihar, holding each other's hands “for the protection of mosques in Bihar, acted as raindrops in the scorching heat”. Sharing the tweet of one Irshad Chaudhary, Swara wrote that “such humanity is needed”.
But, it is said that the Ram Navami procession was taken out jointly by Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu organisations to facilitate the Hindus in the procession. The organisers say that they did not form a human chain to save the mosque. They said the human chain was for the security of the procession. “The human chain was formed so that the people involved in our procession do not face any kind of difficulty,” an organiser said. He said the seven km long procession ended at 7 pm on April 10. A large number of people, including women and children had participated in this.