Guj: Situation normal in Khambat town after communal clashes

Normalcy was returning to the Khambhat town in Gujarat's Anand district on Wednesday

following communal clashes during the previous three days, the police said.

As many as 84 persons have been arrested, officials said.

Seven First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered since Sunday, including one against former BJP MLA Sanjay

Patel, members of the Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) and some local councillors, the police said.

Patel has not been arrested. He and others were accused of breaching a notification

issued by the district magistrate imposing probibitory orders restricting movement of groups. They had organised a rally on

Tuesday. At the rally held near Gawara Tower, attended by over

6,000 people, they allegedly made provocative speeches, as per an FIR registered at Khambhat city police station under the

Gujarat Police Act. Tensions flared up on Tuesday amid thebandh (shut-

down) call given by some Hindu outfits, leading to incidents of arson.

No untoward incident was reported on Wednesday. The people who had fled their homes fearing violence were

returning and markets remained open, a senior police official said.

"In all, 84 persons have been arrested in seven FIRs lodged in connection with communal clashes that followed the

bandh call yesterday," Inspector General of Police (Ahmedabad range) A K Jadeja said.

"The situation is returning to normal. We carried out patrolling last night and today. Sufficient police deployment

has been made," Jadeja said. At least 20 houses and as many vehicles were torched

during the violence which began on Sunday. What triggered the violence was not yet clear, with

some reports saying that it was spill-over from clashes that had erupted during the Uttarayan festival in January.

Director General of Police Shivanand Jha visited the town on Tuesday and met people from both Hindu and Muslim

communities. Teams of Rapid Action Force and State Reserve Police

were deployed across the town. The Gujarat Government had announced on Tuesday that

it will impose the Disturbed Areas Act in some parts of the town. The Act seeks to stop distress sale of property in

communally-sensitive areas.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)