Curfew extended in Karauli
Curfew in Rajasthan's riot-affected Karauli is extended till April 7 and internet services will remain shut till further orders. The situation in the city seems to be peaceful and under control but politics on the incident is heating up. While CM Ashok Gehlot has accused BJP leaders of coming here to set fire, the Opposition has accused the state government of intelligence failure and appeasement politics.
In meantime, both ruling Congress and opposition BJP have sent panels to Karauli, who will submit the ground zero reports to their parties.
Communal tension and incidents of arson and vandalism broke out in Karauli on April 2. The administration had to impose curfew till April 4 midnight. It has now been extended till April 7. "We have extended the curfew till April 7 and internet services will also remain shut till the situation gets normal. We have formed Mohalla peace committees to normalise the situation in the city," said Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, district collector of Karauli.
Independent councillor booked as a conspirator
In the meantime, the police are searching for an independent councillor Matloob Ahmed, who is absconding. The incident of stone-pelting on a procession took place in his ward and as per reports, stones were pelted from the gymnasium he owns. Matloob Ahmed supported Congress to form a board in the city council elections. The councillor has been accused of pelting stones at the rally and inciting violence. "The councillor has been named in the FIR and teams have been sent to arrest him," said Shailendra Singh, the Superintendent of Police. The 13 accused arrested were presented by police in court, which remanded them to 2 days police custody. 6 others have also been arrested.
Politics heating up
The politics on the issue is heating up as CM Ashok Gehlot accused BJP leaders of raising proactive slogans in the name of religion. He said that the visits of BJP leaders make it clear that it has brought Rajasthan into election mode.
BJP hit back by accusing the government of appeasement politics and intelligence failure. The deputy leader of opposition BJP in assembly Rajendra Rathor said, "It was a thought out conspiracy as stones and swords were stored in large numbers on the roofs where the stone-pelting happened, the police did not reach the spot until half an hour after the violence."
Rathore also accused the government of intelligence failure and said the government was aware of this but did nothing to stop this in the name of appeasement politics. It has been reported that the Muslim organization Popular Front of India had sent a letter to the government apprehending such incidents on Nav Samvatsar as Hindu outfits will organise Bhawa rallies.