Communal clashes have been reported from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh after a religious procession was stone-pelted near a mosque. Tensions flared in Barkatha on Sunday after a confrontation broke out between two communities during a ‘yagya’ ceremony and procession near a mosque. The incident led to stone-pelting and the burning of straw stacks, causing the situation to deteriorate rapidly. In response, authorities heightened security in the region. Police have since stated that the situation has been brought under control.
SP Arvind Kumar Singh said that a ‘yagya’ was happening, and a procession was being taken out when the incident happened. “During that, a clash erupted between two communities near a Mosque, stones were pelted, and then some people set straw piles on fire. Right now, the situation is under control. FIR will be registered,” said SP Singh.
In a recent development, Head Constable, Kodarma Fire Station, SK Singh said, “We saw that 4-5 rooms caught fire. We have extinguished the fire. Now the situation is under control.”
On March 26, a scuffle and stone pelting had taken place between two groups during Mangla Julus (procession) as part of the Ram Navami celebration at Jhanda Chowk of Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh, as per officials.
Nancy Sahay, Deputy Commissioner, Hazaribagh, earlier said, “One group was playing some songs during the procession, which was objected to by the second group, resulting in a scuffle and stone pelting. But it did not escalate as the forces deployed there took control of the situation. As of now, the situation is peaceful and under control.”
On February 26, a scuffle broke out in Hazaribagh’s Ichak area over the use of a sound system. The situation escalated into stone pelting, but authorities quickly stepped in. (With ANI inputs)