The curfew was enforced following the communal clashes that erupted in the Rajasthan town of Jodhpur between Hindus and Muslims on the occasion of Eid for the hoisting of a religious flag on the Jalori gate in the city.
On the festival of Eid, on Tuesday, Jodhpur witnessed clashes between Hindus and Muslims. However, tensions erupted a night before when some miscreants hoisted an Islamic flag, removing the saffron flag.
The Rajasthan government has imposed a curfew on over 10 police stations in Jodhpur. Moreover, mobile services are also suspended in the area.
Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and also a resident of the town of Jodhpur, has urged people to maintain peace. Following the communal clashes, he chaired a meeting to resolve the issue.
The police took control of the situation
The arrest of 97 people with ties to the violence has been confirmed by police. The police authorities state that the clashes began immediately after the hoisting of the flag on the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa near Jalori Gate. Shortly after that, the police and Muslim community broke into violence and the authorities imposed a curfew.
Vandita Rana, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jodhpur stated, “Preliminary investigation suggests that the violence broke out due to one community hoisting the flag over the statue of a freedom fighter.”
Police had to enforce a lathi charge to bring the situation under control. The mob started pelting stones at the police force, which continued from Monday night to Tuesday morning. To disperse the mob, the police officials decided to control the situation with force.
Vandita Rana said, “Clashes broke out between the police and people who came to offer Namaaz on Tuesday morning. People who came to offer namaaz started sloganeering and forcefully tried to move towards the statue in order to bring down the saffron flag from the statue. Thus, police officials had to use force to disperse the crowd. This morning, one of the communities clashed with the police force, but not the other community.”
Ashok Gehlot faces criticism over violence in Jodhpur
As soon as the violence erupted, the BJP started slamming the ruling Congress government in Rajasthan. BJP leader and Union Jal Shakti Minister, MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, criticised Gehlot over the situation. They stated that the violence was the result of Gehlot’s “politics of appeasement.”
On the other hand, Ashok Gehlot tweeted, “The clashes that emerged in Jodhpur are very unfortunate. I have ordered the authorities to maintain peace and order in the region. Respecting the tradition of love and brotherhood in Jodhpur and Marwar, I appeal to all sides to help in maintaining peace and law and order.”
Published by: Diwakar Kumar
Edited by: Aaradhana Singh
