122 held for Bihar communal clashes, JD(U) cautions ally BJP

PATNA/AURANGABAD/SAMASTIPUR: As many as 122 people were arrested till Tuesday for communal clashes in Bihar's Aurangabad town even as there was tension in Rosera police station area in Samastipur district after a mob allegedly pelted stones at a mosque.

In a related development, JD(U) general secretary KC Tyagi sought to send a message to BJP by cautioning NDA allies not to indulge in an action that could give the opposition an opportunity to to raise an accusing finger against the ruling alliance.

Aurangabad DM Ranjan Mahiwal said in a major crackdown against anti-social elements, 122 people were arrested and jailed. He emphasized no fresh violence has taken place since Monday night. "The situation is well under control now," he said, adding that internet services have been snapped in the district since Monday to prevent rumour-mongering.

More than 500 people have been accused in three FIRs lodged in connection with the violence, Mahiwal said. He added, "They are being arrested with the help of CCTV footage."

In Rosera, a mob allegedly pelted stones at a mosque on Tuesday morning. Police sources said slippers were hurled on an idol immersion procession near the mosque on Monday evening and the stone-pelting on Tuesday was a retaliatory action.

Darbhanga zonal IG Pankaj Darad, however, said a pair of slippers had accidentally fallen from the rooftop of a house when the procession was near the mosque.

Reinforcements were sent to control violence that had broken out and 10 cops, including an ASP and a DSP were injured, Rosera police station SHO D N Sahay said.

Meanwhile, Tyagi took on Union minister Ashiwni Choubey for his statement that the FIR lodged against his son Arijit Shashwat for allegedly inciting communal tension in Bhagalpur was "a piece of garbage."

"Choubey holds a constitutional post and is aware of the laws of the land. If police have lodged an FIR against his son after initial probe, he should either surrender or approach the judiciary to defend himself. It is certainly not a responsible act to call the FIR a piece of garbage," Tyagi said.