Following remarks made by BJP leader Nupur Sharma against the Prophet during a TV debate, communal tensions have been steaming in several regions of the country.
Hence, before the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra on July 1, Ahmedabad police launched a cricket tournament – Ekta Cup in Saraspur on Wednesday to promote racial tolerance, amicability, and teamwork.
Previously the police hosted ‘Antakshari and health check-up’ camps for senior citizens on Monday. Additionally, in the two blood donation camps, over 1000 units of blood were donated by members of both communities.
The cricket tournament is anointed Ekta Cup and will go on till July 18, Sunday. Mahant Dilipdasji Maharaj, the priest of the Jagannath temple, inaugurated the occasion at the cricket ground in the Bombay Housing neighborhood in Saraspur by playing the first shot.
Police officers such as Sector 1 JCP R V Asari and JCP of city crime branch Premveer Singh were present to cheer the priest.
One appreciative step by the police is that the participating teams will have an amalgamation of Hindu and Muslim Communities.
The 9-km Rath Yatra procession covers the jurisdictions of the Gaekwad Haveli, Khadia, Kalupur, Shaherkotda, Karanj, Shahpur, Madhupura, and Dariapur police stations, which include some sensitive areas.
On the route of the Rath Yatra, two teams are assembled, with members from both communities.
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