12 HURT IN J’KHAND; 77 HELD IN MP; 9 ARRESTED IN GUJARAT

1 KILLED EACH IN JHARKHAND, GUJ

Violence marred Ram Navami celebrations in parts of the country, with one person killed and 12 others injured at Lohardaga in Jharkhand, while curfew was clamped in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone city and 77 people were arrested there, officials said on Monday. One person was also killed in Gujarat’s Khambat.

BLOW-BY-BLOW

Parts of Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone were placed under curfew after violence and arson during a Ram Navami procession, a senior official said. Police have been deployed in large numbers to prevent any flare-up.

Additional collector SS Mujalde said clashes broke out when stones were allegedly thrown at a procession that started from Talab Chowk area following an altercation over playing music from loudspeakers. “Police had to fire teargas shells to control the situation,” Mujalde said.

Many policemen, including SP Siddharth Chaudhary, were injured. Four houses were set on fire and a temple vandalised. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan dubbed the incidents “unfortunate”, saying the culprits have been identified and strict action would be taken.

As many as 60 persons belonging to two different communities were booked Monday against for disrespecting religious flags of each other during the Ram Navami festival in a rural area in MP’s Indore, a cop said.

One person was killed and another injured in a communal clash in Khambhat city of Gujarat during a procession taken out on the Ram Navami on Sunday, while Himmatnagar city in the state also witnessed violence between members of two communities during a similar event, police said.

The clashing groups indulged in stone-pelting and arson at both the places and the police had to lob tear gas shells to bring the situation under control, officials said.

While Khambhat city is located in Anand district, Himmatnagar lies in Sabarkantha district. “The body of an unidentified man, who appears to be around 65 years old, was recovered from the spot in Khambhat, where two groups pelted each other with stones after a clash broke out between them during a Ram Navami procession late this afternoon,” Superintendent of Police Ajeet Rajyan said. Altogether, nine

persons were arrested.

In West Bengal’s Howrah, cops were deployed in large numbers after reports of clashes during a procession in Shibpur. Police asked people to maintain peace.

Opposition BJP alleged police had attacked the Navami procession. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused policemen of raining blows on the participants of the Navami procession.

Police asked Howrah residents to maintain restraint while posting anything on social media and warned them against spreading fake news.

Reports of stone-pelting and arson also came in from Jharkhand’s Lohardaga. News agency ANI reported the death of one man. Several others were reportedly hurt. Heavy force was on ground to keep the peace.