One held for sparking communal tension

Ahmad, 25, arrested on Friday for vandalising a temple which led to communal tension in parts of Hazaribagh, was sent to jail on Saturday.

Police had claimed that Ahmad was mentally-challenged. However, it is yet to be medically-proven that the man suffered from any mental disorder. He underwent a general medical test at the Hazaribagh Sadar Hospital before being sent to the jail, but the tests did not reveal anything about his mental health, sources said.

“The doctors in the jail will keep him under observation. His activities and behavior in the jail will also be monitored. If necessary, we will think of sending him to psychiatry institutes in Ranchi for treatment,” said Hazaribagh superintendent of police Anup Birthare. Shops remained closed at Banaso on Saturday and security forces were deployed across the Bishnupur block to prevent any clashes between groups.

On Friday, Ahmad had allegedly broken a statue outside a Shiva temple in Banaso which led to stone pelting in four different parts of the district here, including a mosque and a temple campus, causing communal tension and a market shutdown

.Agitated locals had blocked the national highway connecting Hazaribagh with Dhanbad on Friday. Subsequent stone pelting was reported from Atthara Chowk, Main Road, the vicinity of a temple and near a mosque. The police had to resort to lathicharge in a few of the affected areas to disperse the mobs.