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Prohibitory orders in 15 places in Jaipur after communal tension escalates
Tension escalated after around half a dozen vehicles were vandalised by a mob in Gangapole and stones were pelted on a local temple in the area.
Authorities in Rajasthan’s Jaipur have clamped prohibitory orders in 15 areas of the city after two groups clashed on Tuesday night following an incident of stone-pelting, officials said.
Tension escalated on Tuesday night after around half a dozen vehicles were vandalised by a mob in Gangapole and stones were pelted on a local temple in the area. Police baton-charged people and used tear gas to bring the situation under control.
“At present, the situation is under control but as a precautionary measure 144 has been imposed in 15 police station areas,” commissioner of police Anand Shrivastava said.
Under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the assembly of four or more people in an area is prohibited and they can be booked for engaging in rioting if they do not follow the orders.
The 15 police station areas include Galta Gate, Brahmpuri, Subhash Chowk, Ramganj, Manak Chowk, Bhatta Basti, Shastri Nagar, Kotwali, Sanjay Circle and Transport Nagar, Lal Kothi, Adarsh Nagar, Moti Dungri, Nahargarh and Jawahar Nagar.
Five people were arrested and more than 50 booked on Tuesday afternoon.
A government employee living in Walled City, who requested anonymity, said that even after the heavy deployment of police, some people were still moving around in the area.
“We have been told to remain alert and stay inside our houses. Some people flee the area taking advantages of narrows lanes after creating nuisance. They are also taking advantage of the dim street lights. The children are afraid of what is happening. God knows what these people want,” he said.
A police officer said the situation turned tense in Ramganj and nearby areas after a minor scuffle broke out between two communities on Sunday.
It escalated on Monday evening after people gathered at places like Ramganj and Khole Ke Hanuman Ji Chauraha. some people hurled stones on a bus and Kanwariyas on Delhi Road around 10pm on Monday. More than a dozen buses were damaged in the incident as people shouted slogans leading to an argument.
Around 15 people and five policemen got injured in the clash.
Kanwar yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, who march to Haridwar, Gaumukh, Gangotri and Sultanganj to fetch ‘holy water’ from the Ganga, and then walk with the water in pots, called ‘kanwars’.
Mobile internet services were suspended in these 15 police station areas to “prevent the spread of rumours” on Tuesday.
