The Madhya Pradesh Police on Saturday said that it has arrested 175 people in connection with the Khargone communal clashes that took place on April 10, PTI reported.
Sixty-four first information reports have been registered as well, according to Superintendent of Police Rohit Kashwani.
The local administration has also relaxed the curfew from 8 am to 5 pm on Sunday, according to PTI. Kashwani, however, said that the night curfew will continue in the city.
A curfew was imposed in the city on April 10. The administration has been relaxing the restrictions for two-hour intervals since April 14.
Grocery and milk shops, vegetable shops, pharmacies, and barber shops are allowed to stay open, but places of worship will remain closed, according to an order by the city administration. The curfew relaxation will not apply to markets, petrol pumps and the sale of kerosene at shops.
Meanwhile, Mohsin aka Waseem, who has been accused of firing at Superintendent of Police Siddharth Chaudhary during the clashes, was presented before a local court on Saturday and sent to three-day police remand, PTI reported.
Kashwani said that Mohsin was being questioned and that a search was underway to nab other accused based on technical evidence.
The communal violence
On April 10, some people had allegedly hurled stones at a Ram Navami procession, objecting to loud and provocative music being played in the Talab Chowk area of Khargone. Subsequently, clashes broke out in the Gaushala Marg, Tabadi Chowk, Sanjay Nagar and Motipura areas.
At least 24 people were injured in the violence. Ten houses were also burnt during the clashes.
On April 11, the Madhya Pradesh government demolished homes and shops belonging to Muslims in Khargone. Deputy Inspector General of Police Khargone Range, Tilak Singh, claimed that the homes that were demolished belonged to those who had thrown stones during the procession.
On April 12, the state government set up a two-member claims tribunal to assess the damage caused by the communal violence.
The police on Thursday arrested five persons for the murder of Ibraish Khan during the violence, identified as Dilip, Sandeep, Ajay Karma, Ajay Solanki and Dipak Pradhan.
The accused persons were residents of the Anand Nagar-Rahimpura area, a communally sensitive locality. Rohit Kashwani, superintendent of police said that the accused persons have confessed to the crime and have also been identified by witnesses. Khan died due to serious injuries to his head caused by stones.
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