RAIPUR: In a dramatic twist to Dussehra celebrations, a disgruntled former committee member allegedly torched a 35-foot-tall Ravan effigy 15 minutes before the scheduled time out of personal spite and communal prejudice, prompting the police to register a criminal case in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night at the Dussehra Ground within the limits of the Civil Lines police station. The local festivities were organised by the Navyuvak Shraddha Durga evam Dussehra Utsav Samiti, comprising residents from diverse faiths and backgrounds.
According to a written complaint lodged by committee member Seema Chandravanshi (62), an associate named Manish Rao Chauhan, had long harboured resentment toward the committee’s diverse composition.
Chauhan had repeatedly passed derogatory remarks about caste and religion and demanded that individuals from other communities be expelled from the festival panel. When the organisers rejected his divisive demands, a bitter Chauhan severed ties with the group.
The festering grudge came to a head on Dussehra night. The committee had erected a 35-foot Ravan effigy worth roughly ₹40,000, scheduled for traditional immolation at 10:00 PM. As per ritual custom, a ceremonial tableau (jhanki) depicting Lord Ram, Lakshman, and Hanuman was making rounds among devotees, with the actor portraying Lord Ram slated to carry out the symbolic burning following the completion of religious rites.
However, around 9:45 PM, Chauhan and his associates allegedly bypassed the religious rituals entirely, set the effigy ablaze prematurely, and fled the spot. The act deprived the gathering of the planned ceremony and sparked widespread shock and anger among organisers and neighbourhood residents.
Accompanied by committee members Sandeep Dubey, Aniket Kaushik, Vasu Verma, Yash Chandra, and Pranshu Warsing, Chandravanshi approached the Civil Lines police station in Bilaspur district.
Police registered an FIR against Manish Rao Chauhan and his associates under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023—including Section 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), Section 299 (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings), Section 324(4) (mischief causing damage), and Section 3(5) (joint criminal liability). An investigation into the matter is underway.
