Communal clashes erupt in Gujarat, 1 dead

The clashes erupted in the state’s Himmatnagar and Khambhat after a procession, to mark Ram Navmi passed through Muslim-dominated areas

Published on: Apr 10, 2022, 23:49:11 IST

By Maulik Pathak

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One person was killed after communal clashes broke out in two Gujarat cities on Sunday following stone-pelting on religious processions, police said.

A view of the site after communal clash during Ram Navmi procession in Himmatnagar on Sunday (ANI)

The clashes erupted in the state’s Himmatnagar, about 70 km from Gandhinagar, and Khambhat, about 125 km from the state capital, after a procession, to mark Ram Navmi passed through Muslim-dominated areas, state’s director general of police (DGP) Ashish Bhatia said.

“Incidents of violence were reported after stone-pelting broke out when the Ram Navmi processions passed through Muslim-dominated areas (in the cities). The situation is under control now,” Bhatia said. He added that an “elderly person” died in the clashes in Khambat but his identity was yet to be ascertained.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said that police had to fire tear gas shells to control mobs that pelted stones at each other and damaged shops and vehicles at both places. Four companies of State Reserve Police (SRP) were deployed to control the situation, they added.

“Police fired tear gas shells to control the situation. Later, the additional police force was brought in from outside the city to bring the situation under control,” news agency PTI quoted a police official as saying.

As many as three police officials were injured during the communal clashes in Himmatanagar in Sabarkantha district, the state police chief said. They were taken to a hospital and were discharged after being treated for mild injuries, according to Bhatia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maulik Pathak
He is an Ahmedabad-based journalist with more than two decades of experience. His career spans business journalism and general news, with reporting across politics, crime, governance, public policy, business, industry, infrastructure, energy, ports, aviation, the environment, wildlife and social issues. He began his career in feature writing before moving into business journalism, reporting on companies and sectors including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and real estate. Over the years, his work expanded to politics, courts, crime, public policy, civic affairs, the environment and wildlife. His reporting has taken him from government offices and courtrooms to factory floors, ports, forests and remote villages, covering stories that range from industrial investments and financial markets to elections, conservation and issues affecting everyday life. While many assignments demand the pace of the daily news cycle, others require sustained reporting over months and years to follow developments beyond the headlines. He started his journalism career with the Asian Age in Ahmedabad in 2002 as a feature writer and sub-editor. Since 2022, he has been working with Hindustan Times. Earlier, he worked with Business Standard, DNA, The Economic Times, Mint and The Times of India. His longest stint was with Mint, where he spent more than eight years reporting across multiple beats. During his career, he has worked in both reporting and editing roles, contributing to page planning, local editions and special editorial projects as newsrooms evolved from print-first operations to digital publishing. Early in his career, he also worked on media and documentary projects with an NGO and as a copywriter at a communications agency before returning to journalism. Away from work, he sometimes makes time for a pair of binoculars, table tennis, cinema and the occasional poem.Read More

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