2 MP districts on edge after communal clash

Anup Dutta 

Tribune News Service

Bhopal, June 17 

Two districts in Madhya Pradesh, Damoh and Shajapur, have been rocked by communal violence in the past 48 hours, with prohibitory orders in force.

While in Shajapur trouble began over a procession to mark Maharana Pratap’s jayanti, in Damoh’s Footera village, a phone talk reportedly between a boy and a girl of different faiths triggered a clash. Enraged over the phone talk, people of a particular faith entered the house of the youth and took to vandalism. In retaliation, a group of youths vandalised some houses and public property. 

“We have arrested 10 persons for instigating violence in Footera village,” Vivek Agrawal, SP, Damoh, said. 

Meanwhile, peace has been restored in Shajapur district that witnessed arson following a dispute between two groups regarding loud music being played by a DJ at a procession to mark Maharana Pratap jayanti. 

Eyewitnesses said the trouble began when “Shourya Yatra”, to mark the Rajput warrior-king’s birth anniversary, reached an area where Eid was being celebrated in an open space near a temple.  The police requested those heading the procession to put off the blaring music, but they refused to budge. Some people began to throw stones and the situation went out of control. Nine persons were injured and more than 12 vehicles damaged. 

This is the second incident of communal violence in the district in the past eight months. Citing data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs said 336 cases related to promoting enmity between groups on the bases of religion, race and place of birth were registered in the state in 2014. The number had shot up to 475 in 2016, an increase of over 41 per cent.

Vadodara erupts too

The Vadodara police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to a cane-charge to disperse members of two communities who clashed during a procession to mark the birth anniversary of Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap on Saturday night.  The procession was organised by the Karni Sena. — PTI