Brick-batting and arson took place between two groups over alleged desecration of a religious flag at Shastrinagar in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur on Sunday evening. Following the violence, the authorities imposed Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 of CrPC in the locality. Security forces on Monday conducted a flag march in Kadma police station area following the stone pelting and arson, mobile internet is also temporarily banned.
Warring groups set two shops and an auto-rickshaw ablaze and the police fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob, news agency PTI reported officials as saying.
An adequate police force has been deployed in Shastrinagar under the Kadma police station to maintain law and order.
“Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 of CrPC were clamped in the area,” said Sub-Divisional Officer (Dhalbhum), Piyush Sinha, as quoted by PTI.
East Singhbhum district Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav state that some anti-social elements are trying to disturb the peace in the area as she sought cooperation from the citizens to foil their plot.
“We have been keeping strict vigil on the situation and deployed adequate police force, a Quick Response Team, a Magistrate, Rapid Action Force personnel and other anti-riot resources to maintain law and order,” she mentioned in a statement, as per PTI.
As per the police, tension was brewing in the area since Saturday night when members of a local organisation found that a piece of meat was tagged with a Ram Navami flag Several outfits protested demanding the police arrest the culprits within 24 hours.
On Sunday evening, the situation turned violent when a shop was gutted leading to brick-batting from both sides. A mob also set an autorickshaw on fire, forcing the police to fire tear gas shells.
As per PTI's report, DIG (Kolhan) Ajay Linda informed that shops were also set ablaze by local miscreants.
The Deputy Commissioner assured that stringent action will be initiated against those who indulged in anti-social activities to disturb communal harmony.
She also urged people not to pay heed to canards or share inflammatory posts on social media.
Apart from the DC, Senior Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar, Superintendent of Police (City) K Vijay Shankar, and Sub-Divisional Officer (Dhalbhum) Piyush are camping in the area, the report mentioned.