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Curfew in Rajasthan town after communal violence

Kamla Bora in Jaipur

Indefinite curfew was clamped in Rajsamand town in Rajasthan Sunday when communal violence broke out after a religious procession was pelted with stones.

A violent mob clashed with the police, set ablaze three shops and two vehicles, damaged a hotel and a STD booth, threw stones on residential houses and blocked the national highway.

Curfew was clamped after police failed to control the violence even after a lathi charge and lobbing of tear gas shells. More than a dozen persons were injured, one of them seriously. Several policemen were also injured.

A deputy superintendent of police, trying to control the situation had a heart attack on the street and died.

This is the second incident of communal violence in Rajasthan in one month.

Communal violence claimed 12 lives in Malpura town in Tonk district on August 10 and 11. Night curfew still continues in Malpura.

State Home Minister Gulab Singh Shekawat said the Rajsamand incident was sparked on Sunday morning when stones were pelted on a religious procession in which Kavadias were going to nearby holy place, Parsuram Mahadeo. The incident occurred near old bus stand. As soon as the news spread, people started gathering at the bus stand. The mob blocked National Highway 8 and started setting vehicles and shops on fire.

The police first lathi-charged the mob and later lobbed tear gas shells. Additional police forces, including a battalion of the Rajasthan Arms Constabulary, were rushed from nearby areas to control the situation. The district administration clamped curfew in the afternoon after which the angry protestors retreated to their homes.

District Collector Nirmal Waghvanim, who was away in Udaipur, rushed back to handle the situation.

However, there have been reports of clashes between the police and protestors even after curfew was imposed.

The situation is now officially stated to be tense but under control. Vice-president of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Gulab Chand Kataria described the stone pelting incident on a religious procession as unfortunate and blamed the administration for the violence. Since Rajsamand is a communally-sensitive area, adequate security arrangements should have been made, he said.

Pradesh Congress Committee chief Girija Vyas appealed to the people to maintain peace.

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