Trend #छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़ (“Chhattisgarh has become the hub of jihad”) run because police lathi-charged to control violence

Communal violence had erupted in Chhattisgarg’s Kabirdham district on October 5.

Because the police lathi-charged to control violence, a trend with almost 35 thousand tweets was run on Twitter titled #छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़ (“Chhattisgarh has become the hub of jihad”). There were a total of  34,895 tweets and RTs from 5,382 different accounts till the point the data was pulled.

The verified handles that tweeted it are:

The complete list of tweets and those who shared it is – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fhlc4gr4EM6ysuEwKpPMyMYcyURR_itiqj2RDzwA53k/edit?usp=sharing 

These are some of the tweets on the hashtag #छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़:

रक्त चढ़ाकर तिलक करूँगा,
भक्त हूँ श्री राम का
मुझे बाबर प्रेमी स्वीकर नही। #छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़

— Rajesh munat (@RajeshMunat) October 6, 2021

शांति का गढ़ अशांत हो रहा है।
जिहादियों के कारण जिहादगढ़ हो रहा है।#छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़ @Chhattisgarh_RS

— Rajesh munat (@RajeshMunat) October 6, 2021

Rajesh Munat is a former Cabinet Minister of Chhattisgarh

देश की पहली सरकार जिसके खुद के प्रदेश संभल नही रहा और दूसरे प्रदेश में राजनीति करने गई है। #छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़

— Ramvichar Netam (@RamvicharNetam) October 6, 2021

Ramvichar Netam is a serving Rajya Sabha MP from BJP

#छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़ https://t.co/XD2G6ajwR5

— Brijmohan Agrawal (@brijmohan_ag) October 6, 2021

Brijmohan Agrawal is a BJP MLA from Chhattisgarh & was a Cabinet Minister in the previous Chattisgarh government

छत्तीसगढ़ पुलिस और शांतिप्रिय दंगाइयों ने मिलकर के हिन्दुओ के खिलाफ मोर्चा खोल रखा है।
#छत्तीसगढ़_बना_जिहादगढ़ pic.twitter.com/eiDgWKSgnV

— Ajay Sehrawat (@IamAjaySehrawat) October 6, 2021

Ajay Sehrawat is a Spokesperson of BJP’s Delhi unit & the National Media Incharge of BJP’s OBC Morcha.

A report by Indian Express on the events said:

“It started as a fight between two groups on Sunday. A local history-sheeter named Durgesh Dewangan got into an altercation with some Muslim men, who beat him up,” said Mahant Kashyap, who lives in the Lohara naka area of Kawardha town.

“A few hours later, some men pulled down a green flag and green-coloured decorations that had been strung alongside the roads. In retaliation, the other group pulled down a saffron flag and trampled on it. Some miscreants also threw stones at the nearby Vindhyavaasini temple,” Kashyap added.

As tensions ran high, Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg and Collector Ramesh Sharma visited the spot on Monday. Said a local person: “We demanded that stern action be taken against the men responsible for the vandalism and for beating up Dewangan. But it was Dewangan who was put behind bars instead.”

The report added that An estimated 3,000-strong mob led by Hindu organisations defied a curfew imposed by the administration to march with swords, lathis, and other weapons in the district headquarters town of Kawardha.

They raised slogans of Jai Shri Ram, attacked homes and vehicles owned by Muslims, and pelted the police with stones. More than a dozen civilians and police personnel were injured in the violence.

The Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had called for a “peaceful” protest on Tuesday, which went out of control early on.

After leaders from the opposition BJP, including former MLA Abhishek Singh, who is the son of former chief minister Raman Singh, flagged off the protest, a mob of mostly young men entered Muslim neighbourhoods and began attacking vehicles, handcarts, and doors and windows of houses.

Police carried out a lathicharge to bring the situation under control by early evening. The town remained under curfew on Wednesday as well.