Khambat (Gujarat): Incidents of communal violence were reported in Khambat and Himmatnagar districts during the Ram Navami procession on Sunday leading to the death of one person and injuries to several others.
Despite the police being present at the incident spot, riots erupted in Khambat. Meanwhile, in Himmatnagar, the authorities resorted to the imposition of Section 144 after the situation got out of control. Several police convoys were also stationed in the concerned areas after the violence broke out. The procession began at the Ram temple and had not progressed even 500 metres when the riots took place.
Despite police's tight security, rioters managed to cause a ruckus involving heavy stone pelting, while eight stores were set on fire before police took action in the matter. Though the officers present at the spot tried to control the situation, it was only after a police convoy consisting of officers from the local crime branch, special operations group, headquarters, and the adjacent police station interfered that the situation was stabilized. The stone-pelting injured 10 police officers, including the police head, and five civilians while several automobiles and businesses were also vandalised.
Following the event, high-ranking authorities rushed to the scene, including district police head Ajit Rajyan, and scoured the area to apprehend the suspects. The cops reportedly fired seven rounds of tear gas to get the situation under control. "I was reminded of the sectarian bloodshed in Gujarat two and a half years ago when a similar ruckus had broken out on Uttarayan in Khambhat. The situation had escalated badly back then too," Rajyan said.
In the aftermath of the occurrence, the police have put stringent measures in place to avoid any further incidents, while section 144 has also been imposed in Himmatnagar until April 13. Meanwhile, Sabarkantha SP Vishal Vaghela said that three complaints of public property damage had been filed. With extra precautions in place at sensitive locations, the officers have deployed two teams - one for patrolling and the other for investigating the matter. The district police have so far filed formal complaints against 39 known individuals and a mob of over 700 unknown people involved in the riots.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi convened a high-level meeting to discuss the matter at 11:30 pm on Sunday. Followed this meeting, the IG of the Gandhinagar Range and top police personnel from Khambhat were summoned, as informed by the State Police Chief Ashish Bhatia, who was present at the meeting. The police officials deployed at the site are more vigilant after the incident, while the tensions have not boiled down entirely yet.
