How a minor road accident triggers communal clashes in Gujarat?

Police detained 19 persons after a communal clash in Vadodara on Sunday night and deployed adequate security forces in sensitive areas of the city. The situation is tense but under control, said the administration. An FIR was registered at Karelibaug police station of the district under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for rioting, unlawful assembly, holding deadly weapons, defiling the place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class against unidentified groups of people.

Minor road mishap triggers trouble

The clash between two communities started on Sunday night after a minor road mishap at Raopura locality of the Gujarat district. A Karelibaug police station official said that the clash broke out following the road accident involving two-wheelers belonging to people from two communities in Raopura. “People from the two communities started arguing with each other. The matter escalated with members from both the groups hurling stones at each other. In the process, a glass on the main gate of a mosque was damaged,” PTI quoted a police official as saying. The matter escalated after Hindus carried out a procession of Ganesh idols through the Panigate Darwaza area of the communally sensitive Mandvi locality, said police. The two communities began pelting stones at each other after an argument. However, officials clarified no one was injured in the stone pelting, and 13 have been detained under various IPC Sections.

Why the story matters

In poll-bound Gujarat, any incident of communal tension becomes significant as political parties and people with vested interests use the situation for their electoral benefits. Of late, however, there has been a trend of communal disturbances during major festivals, mainly on Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti and Holi, for a variety of reasons. The situation often escalates due to sloganeering against a particular community as well as insistence on taking out procession through the Muslims-dominated localities. To recall, communal clashes broke out in a number of states across the country, including Gujarat, around Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti festivals in April this year. As a result, the authorities swung swiftly to take the situation under control.

Police booked over a dozen people under various charges

Police soon swung into action and took the situation under control. Over a dozen people from both the communities have been detained. An FIR registered at the Vadodara City Police Station has charged them with rioting and unlawful assembly. They have reportedly been booked under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 336 (rash act endangering human life or personal safety), 147 (rioting), and 295 (defiling place of worship).

‘Situation peaceful’

The police on Tuesday said that they have brought the situation under control and that the area where the incident took place is peaceful. The administration has also deployed additional security forces. Officials are patrolling the streets. According to Chirag Koradia, the Joint Commissioner of Police, Vadodara, the situation is currently under control and peaceful. The crime branch is investigating the clashes, he added. Besides, people from both the community have been asked to ignore any kind of rumors regarding the incident. – INDIA NEWS STREAM