Clashes erupted in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur after the ‘desecration’ of a religious flag sparked brick-batting and arson between two groups, according to officials. Prohibitory orders have been issued under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in Shastrinagar, Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur, after shops and vehicles were set on fire during the clashes. According to ANI, internet services have also been suspended.

Tensions had been building in the area since Saturday night, when members of a local organization discovered a piece of meat tied to a Ram Navami flag, according to police. “Forces are carrying out an early morning flag march. In the area, Section 144 is in effect. Internet services are prohibited until the next order,” said Jyoti Kumari, Executive Magistrate.

On Sunday evening, the warring factions set fire to two shops and an auto-rickshaw. To disperse the mob, police used tear gas shells to gain control of the situation. Both sides were accused of brick-batting.

Meer Faisal, journalist Maktoob Media, also tweeted on the said issue. according to his tweet, “On April 8, in Shastri Nagar, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, local Hindus expressed apprehension about getting beef. SDM sent the meat to the lab for testing, and the report said that the meat is chicken. After which the army was deployed in large numbers, and in the presence of the army, the shops of the Muslims were set on fire by a Hindutva mob.”

The tweet can be viewed here: 

On April 8, in Shastri Nagar, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, local hindus expressed apprehension about getting beef. SDM sent the meat to the lab for testing, and the report said that the meat is chicken. After which the army was deployed in large numbers, and in the presence of the… pic.twitter.com/ty8gK5dHBV

— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) April 9, 2023

Report by the authorities- ‘Anti-social elements trying to disturb peace’

“Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 of CrPC were clamped in the area,” Sub-Divisional Officer (Dhalbhum), Piyush Sinha, provided, while SSP Prabhat Kumar told PTI that adequate police force has been deployed at Shastrinagar to maintain law and order. “The situation is under control and the warring groups have been dispersed… We have also taken a few persons into custody,” he said. An adequate police force has been deployed at Shastrinagar to maintain law and order, police said. Security forces conducted a flag march in Jamshedpur’s Kadma police station area following the clash, reported ANI.

East Singhbhum District Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav said some anti-social elements are trying to disturb peace, and sought the cooperation of people to foil their plot.

More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with violence following the alleged desecration of a religious flag at Shastrinagar in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur, police told PTI.

Report on violence in West Bengal

Meanwhile, the interim report of a fact-finding committee has revealed that the recent incidents of violence in Howrah, Hooghly, and Rishra, among other areas of West Bengal, were pre-planned. “The riots were pre-planned, orchestrated, and instigated,” the interim report of the Fact-Finding Committee headed by Justice L Narasimha Reddy (Retd) states.

Notably, violence and arson were witnessed during the Ram Navami festival in Howrah and Hooghly recently. Earlier, BJP had questioned the administrative capabilities of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government.

Updates on violence in Bihar

Bihar Police arrested five more people on Sunday in connection with its investigation into the communal violence during the Ram Navami procession in Bihar Sharif town in Nalanda district. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police has made fresh arrests in the case, the news agency PTI reported. Two more accused who were involved in some other cases and also wanted by the EOU in Nalanda communal clashes surrendered before the police on Sunday. The EOU will now seek their custody. EOU sleuths are also probing the association, if any, of the surrendered accused with some particular outfit.

This comes after communal tension had flared up at Sasaram and Nalanda during Ramnavami celebrations. In Bihar Sharif, over a dozen people were injured in stone-pelting and firing by miscreants and about 10 shops were gutted. One person died following the violence. According to the Additional Director General (ADG) of Bihar Police (Headquarters), the accused used WhatsApp groups to spread hatred among people of different communities, as reported by Indian Today News.

Arrests in violence in Maharashtra

Mumbai Police have found that the accused in the case of stone pelting at a Ram Navami procession in suburban Malad had allegedly hatched the conspiracy of violence while sitting together near a mosque, officials said, as reported by PTI. More than 20 persons have so far been arrested in connection with the incident which took place in Malvani area of Malad on March 30. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against more than 200 people, they said. A team of Malvani police probing the case of violence recorded statements of an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer and another policeman from the Malvani police station on April 2, an official said.

Both the police personnel in their statements told the police that the violence was created by the accused persons, including those arrested and wanted, deliberately and intentionally, he said. They sat together near a mosque, by violating the orders prohibiting unlawful assembly, and hatched the conspiracy of the crime, the official said.

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