Over 60 Arrested for Communal Violence in Gujarat in Two Days

Two new cases were reported from Veraval town in Gir Somnath district and Vadodara.

Representative Image.

(Photo: PTI)

Gujarat reported two more communal clashes over the last three nights leading to the arrest of over 60 people.

With two new cases reported from Veraval town in Gir Somnath district and Vadodara, the state has reported four such cases over the past week.

The police said on Monday that it had arrested 30 people for taking out a procession and hosting a saffron flag atop a dargah in Veraval, and had also arrested 30 more for rioting and vandalising an idol at a temple in Vadodara, reported Deccan Herald.

Veraval Incident

In the coastal town of Veraval, the police, on Monday, arrested 30 people for hoisting a saffron flag on Magrebisha Bapu Dargah in Vakhariya Bazar during a procession of Hanuman Jayanti on Saturday night.

When the procession was crossing the shrine, a person climbed on it and hoisted the flag. Meanwhile, others in the procession recorded the incident on their mobile phones and posted it on social media. This led to tensions between the two communities. However, the police managed to intervene in time, thereby averting riots.

"We have arrested over 30 people for taking out the procession without police permission and hoisting a saffron flag on a religious site," Gir Somnath Superintendent of Police Manoharsinh Jadeja was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.

He also said that two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) had been registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153 A (promoting enmity between two communities), 295 A (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), and section 188 for taking out the procession without police permission.

Vadodara Incident

Meanwhile, in Vadodara, the rioting reportedly stemmed from the assault of a two-wheeler rider at Amdavadi Pol on Sunday night, The Indian Express reported, as clashes broke out between two groups belonging to different communities around the Jubileebaug area.

Within minutes, the clashes escalated into rioting, which led to stone pelting, vandalism of vehicles and desecration of a Sai Baba temple.

The mob dispersed as police teams reached the area along with local leaders to probe into the incident. The police said they had arrested about 30 people in the matter, as per Deccan Herald.

Earlier Clashes

Earlier on 10 April, one person was killed, and another sustained injuries as communal clashes erupted in Gujarat's Khambhat city during a Ram Navami procession. Similar clashes also ensued in Himmatnagar and Dwarka, with at least 15 people being arrested in the former municipality.

On Friday, 15 April, several shops were demolished by bulldozers in Gujarat's Khambhat. The police said that nine people had been arrested so far in connection with the violence in the city.

(With inputs from Deccan Herald.)