New Delhi : Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday informed the state Assembly that the situation was returning to normal in Aurangabad where communal tension had flared up during the RamNavmi procession.
Replying to the debate on demands of Home department, the CM, who also holds the Home department portfolio, said that attempts were made to disturb communal harmony in certain parts of the state during the Ram Navmi festival.
The administration had earlier imposed curfew in Bihar’s Aurangabad after communal clashes broke out in the town on Monday afternoon and iussed shoot-at-sight order. District magistrate Rahul Ranjan Mahiwal confirmed that curfew has been imposed in town area.
According to local officials, fifty shops near Jama Masjid located on Old GT Road were torched by rioters and more than 60 persons, including 20 policemen, were injured in stone pelting. Trouble started after stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession in the Nawadih area of the town.
Local officials said that the procession was authorised and was passing through pre-determined route. Patna zonal IG Nayyar Hasnain Khan too has said that district armed police personnel were deployed in the area and the situation was under control.
In Bhagalpur, peace returned on Monday. During Ram Mavmi procession, two groups had clashed and the police had registered FIR against dozen people including Arijit Sharaswat,son of union minister of state for health, Ashwini Choubey, charging him for disrupting communal harmony in the town. Arijit had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 assembly elections on BJP ticket.
Responding to the FIR, Ashwini Choubey, on Monday, said the FIR is nothing but a piece of garbage whcih was registered by corrupt officers of the area. My son made no mistake. Additional DG of police Sk Singhal meanwhile said that Choubey”s son will be arrested soon.
Reports of violence have also been reported from other parts of Bihar like Gaya and Siwan. In Gaya, stones were reportedly pelted on a Ram Navami procession under Kothi police station area on Sunday, which led to clashes between two communities.
In Siwan too, ”communal” clashes are said to have taken place when a group of people stopped a Ram Navami procession at Nizampur village on Saturday night.
The state home department and state police”s special branch had earlier urged people not to share objectionable posts on social media on the occasion of Ram Navami. They had also taken out advertisements in newspapers asking people not to raise slogans which would hurt religious sentiments.