Indian police arrest 14 after communal clashes in New Delhi

MUMBAI, (Reuters), 17 April 2022 -  Indian police arrested 14 people in connection with violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims during a Hindu religious procession in the country’s capital, New Delhi, police said in a tweet on Sunday.  

University students in New Delhi recently clashed on campus over the serving of non-vegetarian food in the canteen during a week that Hindus consider auspicious.  

Six police officers and several others were injured on Saturday during scuffles that marred the procession at a festival in Jahangirpuri, a suburban section of New Delhi.In recent weeks, religious clashes have broken out between the majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities during religious processions in several parts of the country.  

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,said in an interview published on Sunday that intolerance among religious communities was not worsening.  

He added that it was not the government’s job to dictate dietary practices to the people, “every citizen has freedom in the country to eat food of their choice,” he added.  
He also dismissed concerns about a controversy earlier this month over Muslim students wearing the hijab head-scarf to school in the southern state of Karnataka.  
“There is no ban on hijab in India. One can wear hijab in markets and other places,” he said.  

“But every college or institution has a dress code, discipline and decorum. We will have to accept this. If you do not like it, you can choose a different institution.”