C’garh: 13 police personnel, including 4 senior officers injured in tribal clash

Kabirdham superintendent of police (SP), Lal Umed Singh, said that the issue started in a village where local tribes were offering rituals to their deity ‘Budha Dev’ for the last several years

At least 13 police personnel, including four senior officials, were injured after a mob of protestors allegedly attacked them with stones and sticks during a rally organised by the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) in Kabirdham district on Friday over the hoisting of a flag at a tribal village, police said.

Police had to burst teargas shells and resort to lathi charge to disperse the mob (ANI Photo)

Police had to burst teargas shells and resort to lathi charge to disperse the mob when they tried to charge towards the religious place in Harmo village under Bhoramdeo police station limits, they said.

Inspector general of police (IGP), Durg Range, Anand Chhabra, told HT that 13 police personnel were injured in the incident and some sustained fractures.

“All police personnel are out of danger. We have detained around 40 and arrests will follow. We have registered a case and an investigation has started. Presently everything is under control,” said the IG.

The IG added that tension was brewing between two tribal communities which turned violent on Friday evening.

The issue pertains to a Gauri-Chaura site in the village where local tribals had been offering prayers to their deity ‘Budha Dev’ for the last several years, Kabirdham superintendent of police (SP), Lal Umed Singh, said.

Last year, the district unit chief of the GGP J Lingo, also a tribal, hoisted a flag of the deity ‘Bada Dev’ which was not liked by the local tribal group who follow ‘Budha Dev’, the SP said.

Singh said that the move triggered a controversy and on February 14 this year, head of the tribal community Durge Bhagat from Korba district performed rituals at the same place during a social function held by local tribals, followers of Budha Dev, and hoisted their flag.

Subsequently, activists of the Gondwana Student Union submitted a memorandum to the Kabirdham collector seeking action against Bhagat and also burnt his effigies, the SP said.

Meanwhile, the district administration and police convened meetings in a bid to normalise the brewing tension between two tribal groups but Lingo never attended any of them, he said.

On Friday, Lingo held a public meeting in Rajanawagaon in Bhoramdeo where around 500 GGP workers were present. Police had to barricade the Rajanawagaon-Harmo road to prevent untoward incidents, the SP said.

After the public meeting, the GGP workers took out a rally towards Harmo, which is about 5 km away from the Rajanawagaon. The protestors clashed with police and managed to break through the barricades and reached Harmo where they gathered in the house of Lingo.

“Protestors, wielded with sticks, attacked police personnel and pelted stones causing serious injuries to several policemen prompting cops to resort to lathi-charge and burst tear gas shells to disperse the mob,” the SP said.

Singh said that he and others, including additional superintendent of police Manisha Thakur, deputy superintendent of police Kaushal Kishore Wasnik, inspectors Bhushan Ekka and other policemen sustained injuries.

Besides, a few protestors also suffered injuries in the incident.

“The protestors were chased away from the village and the situation was brought under control. Efforts are on to arrest those involved in the riot,” SP Singh said.