Jaipur: Rajasthan Police on Sunday conducted a flag march, a day after a stone-pelting incident took place on Saturday. It occurred during a religious procession ‘Shobha Yatra’ in the Karauli district of Rajasthan. Following the incident, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been imposed in the Karauli district till April 4.
Around 42 people were reportedly injured when stones were pelted at a motorcycle rally passing through a Muslim-dominated area to mark Nav Samvatsar, spawning violence that saw shops and vehicles being set on fire. So far, 30 people have been detained Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Hawa Singh Ghumariya told PTI.
Key Developments:
- In light of the communal tension in Karauli, around 170 km from capital Jaipur, curfew has been imposed till Monday night.
- Internet services will remain suspended in the district till April 3 midnight.
- 600 policemen, including 50 officers of the ranks of deputy superintendent of police and inspector, have been deployed in Karauli.
- Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje slammed the state government over the incident and said that the incident could have been avoided if the administration had been more vigilant.
- Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed to the people of state to maintain peace and asked them to stay away from the miscreants
- A control room has also been set up. As many as 50 officers of Additional Superintendent of Police and Deputy Superintendent of Police ranks and over five IPS officers are also at the district headquarters
- Relaxation in curfew for the supply of essentials like vegetables and milk will be given on Monday from 8 AM to 10 AM
- Central and Rajasthan government offices, courts, centres of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education will remain open and essential services will be exempted during the curfew.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that an environment of religious polarisation has been created in the country after the BJP-led NDA came to power at the Centre and blamed it for such incidents.
“The atmosphere which has created in the country after the NDA government came to power, I believe that the prime minister himself should appeal to the countrymen that this polarisation in the name of religion and caste is not justified and is not in the interest of the country,” he told reporters in Barmer.
