Locals see deliberate bid to flare up communal tension in Dewas

The communal tension that has been brewing in Dewas over the last one week has indicated the ill-preparedness of the district administration to deal with such exigencies.

The communal tension that has been brewing in Dewas over the last one week has indicated the ill-preparedness of the district administration to deal with such exigencies. Locals also see a deliberate attempt to spread rumours to flare up communal tensions in the region till now not known to have witnessed any communal tension.

The region is not known to have had any clash between religious groups earlier. (HT photo)

Naib Shehar Kazi Abdul Kalam told Hindustan Times on Saturday that even in Kharibawadi area people from both the communities lived together in harmony for years. The area saw a group clash on Friday night.

“In last one week the situation has gone out of hand. First there was a group clash in Moti Bangla, then an attack on the Shaurya Yatra taken out by the members of VHP and Bajarang Dal and now (on Friday) a group clash in Kharibawadi which took one life. Some people from both the communities have not acted responsibly in all these cases,” Kalam said.

Another resident of the Kharibawadi locality said just after people from both the communities started running amok on the streets news spread that there was a communal violence.

“People of Mali Mohalla were misinformed that a youth from their area was killed and the situation became tensed in few minutes. Later, both the community started pelting stones at each other,” said a shop owner, who lives near the locality.

According to the superintendent of police, Dewas, just after stone pelting began in Kharibawadi area, some other localities of the city too witnessed stone pelting.

“Dewas is the city of Kumar Gandharva, Rajjab Ali Khan, Amanat Ali Khan and other eminent personalities and we always had peace in the city. The recent incidents however have raised so many questions about the communal fabric of the region,” said Bahadur Patel, a Dewas-based writer.