MHA closely monitoring tense situation in Bhagalpur; BJP leader's son booked

Bhagalpur is a communally sensitive place as it witnessed one of the worst communal riots in 1989 in which more than 1,000 people were killed.

New Delhi/Patna: The Ministry of Home Affairs is closely monitoring the situation in Bhagalpur which witnessed communal clashes last weekend. It has deployed two companies of paramilitary forces that included one Rapid Action Force and one CRPF to Bhagalpur, to deal with the tensed situation. Today a case was lodged against Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwani Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat in connection with communal clashes in Nathnagar. An investigation was also launched into his role. "Two cases were lodged in connection with the clashes two days ago. The first was against taking out the procession without permission, inciting communal sentiment and roaming on roads with displaying arms in which Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat and 20 others were named as accused," police officer Md Janeefuddin told news agency IANS. The procession was taken out by the Bharatiya Navvarsh Jagran Samiti on the eve of the Hindu New Year. Choubey said the procession wasn’t carried out to incite clashes and no offensive chanting and songs were played. Despite having a stronghold in Bhagalpur, Shashwat had to bite the dust in the last Bihar Assembly polls from the seat. Choubey is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar. Bhagalpur is a communally sensitive place as it witnessed one of the worst communal riots in 1989 in which more than 1,000 people were killed. Pictures of the violence below: