Why has VHP chosen Pirana for its meet, ask villagers

Pirana, a sleepy village 25 km from Ahmedabad city, is worried that Bakr-Id on November 7 this year may not pass off peacefully.
The village has an almost equal number of Hindus and Muslims, which seems but natural as the 600-year-old dargah (shrine) of Sufi saint Imam Shah Baba is located here. The saint had devotees from both the communities and his dargah is still visited by Hindus as well as Muslims.

However, despite its tradition of Hindu-Muslim amity, Pirana’s fragile peace is again under threat. From November 5, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is organising a three-day conference - called Dharm Prasar Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarta Sammelan - in the village. The VHP has decided to lodge people coming for the conference at the dargah of the Sufi saint while the conference itself will be held at the village’s Gurukul School which is run by the RSS.

Peace loving residents of the village are afraid that there may be conflict at the dargah on November 7, the day of Bakr-Id.

They said that a large number of Muslims will go to the mosque in the dargah to offer namaz that day though many hundreds of VHP members will still be there for the last day of the conference. The villagers fear that even a small argument may lead to violence in the village on Bakr-Id.

The dargah is managed by a trust known as Imam Shah Baba Roza Sansthan which has 10 members, seven of whom are Hindus and the other three Muslims.

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