Jodhpur tense after clashes, authorities impose curfew

While Rajasthan minister of state for home Rajendra Yadav said more than 50 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, the police said 97 people were arrested in violence related cases.

Communal clashes rocked Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city on Tuesday after an altercation over raising religious flags ahead of Eid celebrations, leaving around eight people injured and prompting the government to clamp curfew and suspend internet services.

Jodhpur: Police baton charge protesters after clashes broke out in Jalori Gate area, in Jodhpur, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (PTI Photo) (PTI05_03_2022_000166B) (PTI)

Rajasthan minister of state for home Rajendra Yadav said more than 50 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, which came a month after similar clashes in Karauli town that left 45 people injured.

Police said 97 people were arrested in violence related cases and more than 1,000 personnel were deployed in the city to maintain law and order.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot called for peace in Jodhpur, which is also his hometown, even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders blamed his government for failing to quell the violence.

“It is an unfortunate incident that a tense atmosphere has prevailed due to the clashes between the two groups at Jalori gate in Jodhpur. The administration has been instructed to maintain peace and order at all costs,” he said.

The first signs of disturbance came around midnight on Monday from the Jalori Gate area of Jodhpur after members of Hindu and Muslim groups objected to the putting of religious flags alongside the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa, said police. The argument gave way to scuffles and stone pelting, said police. Four policemen and three people sustained minor injuries as security personnel used teargas shells to disperse the mob and later barricaded the entire Jalori Gate area, police said.

Violence resurfaced on Tuesday morning after the Eid namaz and stone pelting was reported from the area again, forcing the authorities to clamp curfew in 10 police station areas of Jodhpur, officials said. Mobile internet services were blocked in the early hours of Tuesday in ten localilities. They were extended to the entire city later in the day.

Yadav said more than 50 persons were arrested and efforts were on to identify others. “Three people are hospitalised and 12-15 others discharged after primary treatment,” he said. “We will hold a meeting with the officials to discuss every aspect of the incident. If any officer has not shared the correct information with the government, then the officer will be removed,” he said.

The communal tension in Jodhpur comes a month after violence hit Karauli, where some miscreants hurled stones on a bike rally crossing a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood on April 2 on Nav Samvatsar (hindu new year).

In the incident over 40 people were injured and many vehicles and over two dozen shops were set on fire. The police had arrested 23 persons in the incident of arson and violence. A total 10 FIRs have been registered in the case, including one registered by the police themselves.

On April 30, police arrested a person for mounting a saffron flag over a mosque in Pali, averting communal tensions.

Jodhpur deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rajkumar Choudhary said in an order that the curfew, ordered in areas under 10 police stations in Jodhpur (East), will continue till Wednesday midnight.

The clashes also sparked a political tussle with BJP leaders blaming the state government. Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who represents Jodhpur in the Lok Sabha, said, “This act is not acceptable here. I want to tell all my brothers and sisters of Jodhpur that we should not get instigated.”

Addressing reporters in Jodhpur, he accused city police of not taking action against those who created a ruckus. “The police are working under invisible pressure,” he said.

Gehlot held a detailed review of the situation and ordered a team of senior officials led by Yadav and minister in-charge of Jodhpur, Subhash Garg, to visit the spot. Police said the situation was under control and adequate force deployed to maintain law and order.

BJP state president Satish Poonia wrote to governor Kalraj Mishra and demanded an impartial probe of the incident. He said the unrest was due to the “politics of appeasement and atrocities on the majority” under the Congress government and asked the governor to ensure a fair investigation.