Video showing human chain outside mosque on Ram Navami procession in Bihar goes viral

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”.

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.

Another organiser said that stone pelting “has become common on Ram Navami”. “No anti-social element should spoil it by joining our procession, so we had formed this human chain,” he said. While praising the viral video, the National Ulema Council wrote on its Twitter handle, ''In this hate-filled atmosphere, this picture from Bihar gives some hope, some comfort”.

The organisers denied there was any “danger to the mosque” due to the procession. “Even before, the procession was instigated with sticks while passing through the area. That's why we formed the human so that there is no disturbance of any kind”. If anything happens, everyone will say that Ram Navami people attacked. A member of the local peace committee formed for the procession of Ram Navami in Katihar said that this was done to take the crowd forward. “I myself was present there for some time”. On the basis of the statement of the organisers and members of the Peace Committee, it can be said that the claims being made on social media regarding this picture and video are not completely true.