Jamshedpur tense after flare-up over sexual harassment
Authorities in Jamshedpur imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Mango police station area following a clash between two communities over an alleged incident of sexual harassment late on Monday night, officials said on Tuesday.
Authorities in Jamshedpur imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Mango police station area following a clash between two communities over an alleged incident of sexual harassment late on Monday night, officials said on Tuesday.
The situation is under control, but tense, after a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), a police inspector and many others were injured in three hours of brick batting and stone pelting between two communities in Mango area.
Trouble started after three motorcycle-borne men tried to snatch the scarves off some girls who were coming out of a theatre after watching a show of Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The men also brandished pistols and knives and hurled abuses at people who reacted angrily.
Locals put up a blockade near Daigutu Chowk after the incident to which people from the other community objected. The war of words soon turned into brick-batting, stone pelting and reportedly several rounds of firing in the air from both sides. Several shops in the area were also damaged in the incident.
DSP Animesh Naithani was the first to reach the spot and as he was issuing a warning to the locals to clear the area, he was hit by a stone on his face. Mango inspector Satyendra Kumar too sustained injuries.
Police had to fire 22 rounds in the air to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control after senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anup T Matthew and deputy commissioner (DC) Amitabh Kaushal reached the spot around 1:30am.
Though there was no official confirmation of police firing.
According to reports, the same men had misbehaved with several girls and fired shots in the air in the Daigutu area of the city two days back. Locals had protested against the incident and police had intervened and assured them that action will be taken against the men.
"It is always not possible to anticipate that a local level eve-teasing incident would flare up into such law and order problem two days later," SDO Aloke Kumar told HT on Tuesday morning.
Kumar said the prohibitory orders would continue for a while as a precautionary measure.
