An indefinite curfew was imposed in twin cities of Achalpur and Paratwada in Maharashtra’s Amravati district after members of two communities allegedly pelted stones at each other over removal of religious flags on Sunday night, police said on Monday.
At least 30 people from both sides have been arrested so far. Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were also detained when they tried to visit the spot, police added.
Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil said the situation in Achalpur and Paratwada is under control. Police are investigating Sunday’s incident and strict action has been ordered against perpetrators of the violence, he added.
Providing details, Achalpur police inspector Madhav Garud said members of one of the communities had hoisted religious flags at Khidaki Gate and Dulha Gates of Achalpur city, located 48 km away from Amravati district headquarters, on Saturday on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.
Around midnight on Sunday, members of the second community allegedly removed the flags, triggering an altercation between the two sides. Both the groups gradually resorted to stone pelting, Garud said.
Police rushed to the spot and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Both police and state reserve police force brought the situation under control, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Police rushed to the spot and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Both police and state reserve police force brought the situation under control, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Two constables sustained minor injuries in the incident, Garud said.
Amravati additional superintendent of police Shashikant Satav said three cases under various sections of Indian Penal Code have been registered and as many as 30 people have been arrested so far.
Satav also urged local residents to maintain calm and not pay heed to rumours.
“To prevent any further trouble, more than 600 personnel have been deployed in Achalpur-Paratwada twin cities, Kandli village and Demali village,” he said.
A huge contingent of police has also been deployed in Akola, Amravati cities, Amravati rural and other nearby cities. All markets were directed to remain shut by the district administration on Monday.
Amravati inspector general Chandra Kishore Meena also reviewed the law and order situation.
Meanwhile, Amravati district BJP chief Nivedita Choudhury and spokesperson Shivrai Kulkarni were detained when they tried to enter Achalpur on Monday, Satav said.
Three states — Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka — reported incidents of communal violence and rioting on Hanuman Jayanti last week. This is the second round of communal violence this month after similar incidents were reported from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of Ram Navami on April 9 and 10.
In November last year, violence erupted in Amravati city after several Muslim organisations called for a bandh in Amravati, Malegaon and Nanded to protest against the purported vandalism of a mosque in Tripura. The bandh turned violent in several places.
The BJP’s counter protest on the following day led to large-scale violence, prompting the administration to suspend internet services and impose an indefinite curfew in the area..