Eleven cases have been registered and 97 persons have been arrested in connection with the communal violence in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city, ANI reported on Tuesday, citing the police. Tensions had erupted on Monday night over hoisting of a religious flag at a city square. Fresh violence broke on Tuesday morning, the day of Eid.
Additional Director General of Police Hawa Singh Ghumaria said that the force was monitoring every development in the city.
“Deputy and additional superintendent of police level officers have been posted [in Jodhpur],” Ghumaria said. “Curfew is being strictly enforced in the district.”
The clashes broke out in Jodhpur between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities on Monday night over the hoisting of a religious flag in the Jalori Gate area. A mob also took down loudspeakers that had been installed in the area for Eid prayers.
Police said that they had brought the situation under control on Monday. However, tensions erupted once again after Eid prayers on Tuesday morning after some Muslim men hurled stones near the same site.
At least 16 persons, including four policemen, were injured in the violence, The Times of India reported. Some vehicles were also damaged. The police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob, The Indian Express reported.
A curfew was imposed across ten areas of the city and mobile internet services were suspended. The areas under curfew include Udai Mandir, Nagori Gate, Khanda Phalsa, Pratap Nagar, Dev Nagar, Soor Sagar and Sardarpura.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a high-level meeting with officials of the police force and other departments of the admnistration. Gehlot said that those responsible for the violence must not be spared, irrespective of their religion, caste or class, according to The Indian Express. He also urged citizens to maintain peace.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Rajendra Singh Yadav and Minister-in-charge of Jodhpur, Subhash Garg visited the city on Wednesday after the chief minister instructed them to do so, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, Gehlot blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for fueling communal tension in the state.
“This is the agenda of the BJP because inflation, unemployment has gone so far up, they cannot control it,” he told NDTV. “So they are doing this deliberately to divert attention.”
Meanwhile, the BJP accused the Congress of doing “politics of appeasement”, PTI reported.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that a protest would be held at Jalori Gate if those involved in the violence were not arrested.
“Chief Minister blames RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and BJP for provoking riots, but were there any RSS or BJP workers today?” he told reporters, according to The Indian Express. “What happened today during namaz that they [Muslims] came out and created ruckus in the city? They entered houses, thrashed people, pelted stones at houses and shops, damaged vehicles.”
He alleged that Tuesday’s violence took place due to inaction of the police.
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