Communal tension in Jodhpur

Jodhpur/Jaipur: Communal tensions gripped Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's hometown Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to suspend mobile internet services and impose a curfew in 10 police stations areas of the city.

The Chief Minister has appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

Meanwhile, the Jodhpur Deputy Commissioner of Police issued orders imposing a curfew till May 4 midnight besides suspending mobile internet services to check the spread of rumours.

Udai Mandir, Nagori Gate, Khanda Phalsa, Pratap Nagar, Dev Nagar, Soor Sagar and Sardarpura are among the police stations limits where the curfew has been imposed until May 4 midnight, according to the police control room.

The tensions broke out past midnight over the issue of putting up Islamic flags on the Jalori gate circle, which led to stone pelting in which 16 people, including five policemen, were injured.

The situation was brought under control in the early hours on Tuesday with heavy deployment of police, but the tensions escalated again in the morning after prayers at an Eidgah. Shops, vehicles and houses were pelted with stones near the Jalori gate area. Members of the minority community were installing Eid flags and they put up a flag on a roundabout alongside the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa. 

This led to a confrontation as members of the community alleged that a saffron flag, which they had put up there ahead of Parshuram Jayanti, had gone missing.

The issue snowballed into stone-pelting and clashes, officials said.

Police rushed to the spot to control the situation during which five policemen were injured, the police control room said. Police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Mobile internet services were suspended in the area to check the spread of rumours, the officials said.

Gehlot in a tweet urged people to maintain peace and called the incident unfortunate. "While respecting the tradition of love and brotherhood of Jodhpur, Marwar, I make a touching appeal to all parties to maintain peace and cooperate in restoring law and order," he said. He said leaders of all political parties should ask their workers to maintain peace and they all should remain united.

Gehlot also chaired a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister's office to review the situation. He asked ministers Rajendra Yadav and Subhash Garg, and two officers to go to Jodhpur by helicopter.

On the other hand, the BJP targeted the state government over the law and order situation. BJP MLA Suryakanta Vyas in Jodhpur raised an objection to the installation of a Eid flag alongside the freedom fighter's statue. She had gone to the spot last night as soon as the incident occurred. "They did (put up the flag) at (the statue of) Bissa ji and we have a strong objection to this. We will not forget this," Vyas said.

BJP state president Satish Poonia said, "Putting up an Islamic flag on the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa by anti-social elements and removing saffron flags put up on Parshuram Jayanti is condemnable." He appealed to people to maintain peace and demanded that the state government to establish the "rule of law".