Several injured, curfew imposed in Jodhpur over communal tensions

Communal tensions gripped Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s hometown Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to suspend mobile internet services and impose a curfew in 10 police stations areas of the city. Some reports said at least 16 people, including five policemen, were injured in violent clashes between two communities at the Jalori gate area of Jodhpur late on Monday night. The chief minister has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony. Meanwhile, the Jodhpur deputy commissioner of police issued orders imposing a curfew till 4 May midnight, besides suspending mobile internet services to check the spread of rumours.

The tensions broke out past midnight over the issue of putting up Islamic flags on the Jalori gate circle, which led to stone pelting in which five policemen were injured. The situation was brought under control in the early hours on Tuesday with heavy deployment of police but the tensions escalated again in the morning after prayers at an Eidgah. Shops, vehicles and houses were pelted with stones near the Jalori gate area. Members of the minority community were installing Eid flags and they put up a flag on a roundabout alongside the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa. This led to a confrontation as members of the community alleged that a saffron flag, which they had put up there ahead of Parshuram Jayanti, had gone missing.

The issue snowballed into stone-pelting and clashes, officials said. Police rushed to the spot to control the situation during which five policemen were injured, the police control room said. Police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Mobile internet services were suspended in the area to check the spread of rumours, the officials said. Chief Minister Gehlot in a tweet urged people to maintain peace and called the incident unfortunate. “While respecting the tradition of love and brotherhood of Jodhpur, Marwar, I make a touching appeal to all parties to maintain peace and cooperate in restoring law and order,” he said. The Chief Minister said instructions had been issued to the administration to maintain peace and order. Chief Minister Gehlot on Tuesday convened a high-level meeting with the state’s Director-General of Police and other officials regarding the law and order situation in the state and directed them to rush to Jodhpur, following violence that broke out here between two communities. Gehlot instructed Minister of State for Home Rajendra Yadav and Jodhpur in-charge minister Dr Subhash Garg, ACS Home Abhay Kumar, ADG Law and Order Hawa Singh Ghumaria to immediately go to Jodhpur via helicopter. Rajasthan Police also detained three persons, while the district administration imposed a curfew from 1 pm today to 4 May midnight, according to an official order.

The BJP targeted the state government over the law and order situation. BJP MLA Suryakanta Vyas in Jodhpur raised an objection to installation of a Eid flag alongside the freedom fighter’s statue. She had gone to the spot last night as soon as the incident occurred. “They did (put up the flag) at (the statue of) Bissa ji and we have a strong objection to this,” Vyas said. BJP state president Satish Poonia said, “Putting up an Islamic flag on the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa by anti-social elements and removing saffron flags put up on Parshuram Jayanti is condemnable.”