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Udaipur stabbing: Victim’s kin hold stir amid communal tension
The stabbing incident at the government school during school hours on Friday has triggered communal tension in Udaipur.
The family of a 15-year-old boy, who was recently stabbed by his classmate on the premises of a government school in Udaipur city of Rajasthan, on Sunday staged a protest, saying they were not allowed to meet the victim at the hospital, an allegation that was dismissed by the police.
The stabbing incident at the government school during school hours on Friday has triggered communal tension in the city as the victim is a Hindu and the accused minor is a Muslim. Both the accused (15) and his father have been detained for questioning over the former having carried a dagger to school.
“They have killed my son. Now, the administration is not allowing us to meet him,” the victim’s mother alleged, as she led a rally of a group of 30 to 40 women from Mukherjee Nagar Chowk, an area largely occupied by Muslims.
Raising slogans, the protesters arrived at Maharana Bhupal (MB) Hospital, where the boy is undergoing treatment, and demanded that his family be allowed to meet him. As district collector Arvind Poswal arrived at the spot, an argument broke out between the two sides after the protesters alleged the victim had succumbed to injuries and the family was being kept in the dark.
“There was some confusion that the family does not have any information about their child. They were given a brief on all the developments. The child is stable and teams of doctors from Kota and Jaipur are monitoring him. The family was provided with the contact numbers of medical officers, so that they can speak to them whenever they wish. I have asked two of them to come with me and visit the child in the ICU,” Poswal said.
“The family held the protest on the basis of rumours. We urge everyone to stay away and cooperate with the police to help them restore peace in the area,” he added.
On Friday, the victim and the accused were having an argument over homework when the former was stabbed by the latter, according to the police. While a case was later registered under sections 109, 115, and 126 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the incident triggered a series of protests, which turned violent after a mob ablaze cars, vandalised several other vehicles and pelted stones, prompting the administration to impose prohibitory orders and suspend internet services.
Police officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said members of some Hindu outfits gathered at Madhuban in the city on Friday to protest over the stabbing. A mob pelted stones and set three or four vehicles on fire. As the tension escalated in the evening, markets were shut in Bapu Bazar, Hathipole, Ghanta Ghar, Chetak Circle and nearby areas. Some people also pelted stones at a shopping mall in which the glass gates of the shops were damaged, the officers said.
Fifteen to 20 people were detained for the arson and clashes, police said. The administration also suspended mobile internet services.
On Saturday, the Udaipur administration demolished the rented house of the accused boy, alleging it was illegally built on government land and that the measure was needed “to send a message to the criminals”.
The owner of the house, Rashid Khan, was sent a notice mere hours before the demolition. “I had no role in this case. After the incident, I told the family to vacate the house,” Khan said.
