Anand (Gujarat): A clash broke out between two communities in the Ananda district of Gujarat late on Saturday night. Police said that at least four persons including a police constable were injured in the clash and 14 persons have been arrested so far. The incident took place in the Borsad town of the district.
According to police sources, the clash started over the laying of bricks by members of one community on a disputed plot of land. They also said that when members of another community objected to it, the situation turned violent with the two sides pelting stones at each other.
Upon being informed of the clash, a large police contingent rushed to the spot. Senior police officials along with the local civic chief urged the two sides to maintain peace. The local civic chief asked the two sides not to lay bricks on the disputed plot until the dispute is resolved.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse as the two sides continued to pelt stones. Police responded by lobbing tear gas shells and firing rubber bullets. "Later, the police lobbed around 50 teargas shells and fired 30 rubber bullets to disperse the crowd," Deputy Superintendent of Police D R Patel said.
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Patel also said that a large police contingent has been deployed in the area and security has been beefed up to avoid any further untoward incidents. "At around 9.30 pm on Saturday, some people from a community were laying bricks on a disputed plot. Some members of another community objected to it, leading to an altercation between the two sides. The dispute later escalated and members from both sides started hurling stones at each other," Patel said.
He also said that police have identified 15 sensitive locations in the city and deployed large police contingents. Patel said two companies of the State Reserve Police (SRP) have also been called for security in the affected areas. (With agency inputs)
