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Tension in Gujarat district after 2 killed, 5 injured in group clashes
Mobile internet services in Surendranagar and nearby Morbi district remain suspended to prevent spread of rumours through various social media platforms.
Tension ran high in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district on Friday, a day after two persons were killed and five injured in group clashes there.
Mobile internet services in Surendranagar and nearby Morbi district remain suspended till Friday noon to prevent spread of rumours through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, said a government statement.
Bulk SMS services are also suspended.
The twin districts have been put under supervision of three senior officers— two inspectors general of police (IGPs) Brijesh Kumar Jha and Ajay Kumar Chaudhary and Rajkot range deputy inspector general (DIG) of police D N Patel.
Seven platoons of state reserve police (SRP) have been deployed in the violent-hit areas and police forces of nearby districts have been put on standby.
The trigger for the clash, police said, was the killing of Indrasinh Zala, a former president of Dharngadhra nagarpalika on July 8, when he was returning from Rajasthan. He is reportedly a functionary of the ruling BJP.
Zala was out on parole in connection with the murder of Popat Bharward in 2012.
Zala was Kshatriya while Bharward was from a cattle-grazer community call Bharwads.
On Thursday, a group of Kshatriyas was on their way to attend Zala’s condolence meeting when they allegedly got into a fight with a group of people from Bharwads community at Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district.
Amid heavy stone pelting from both sides, one group resorted to firing, which left one dead, police said.
Soon, another clash broke out in Soladi village, where one more person was killed. Clashes were also reported from Dhrangadhra village.
Several vehicles and shops were also torched, before a large contingent of police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.
