Hazaribag: Internet Services suspended indefinitely in Hazaribag and adjoining counties – Giridih, Koderma and Chatra – on Monday morning following violent communal clashes, which resulted in the death of a teenager, in the village of Saraswati Puja Dulmaha during idol immersion on Sunday night.
Police said they had been slapped FIR on 24 people.
Dulmaha village is along NH-2, some 15 km from Garhi police station.
Hazaribag district government has also enacted a ban orders under Section 144 CrPC around Garhi sub-divisions.
According to sources, one Rupesh Kumar Pandey (18) was found unconscious by his friends after he was reportedly attacked by a group of people from the minority community.
Pandey is part of idol immersion procession.
He was rushed to a government hospital in Garhi where he was declared brought dead.
Soon after the news of his death broke, clashes erupted between the two communities.
Five vehicles – four bikes and cars – were burned in the clashes.
Firefighters arrived at the place prevented dousing the flames with the majority community, the sources said.
Later, additional police forces pressed into service to disperse the crowd.
The personnel also fired several rounds of tear gas.
DC Aditya Kumar and SP Manoj Anand Ratan Chothe, who rushed to the place late at night, camping in the area.
Situation tense but under control, they said.
SP said, “As a precaution, the internet service was interrupted in Hazaribag and adjoining districts to prevent further flare-ups and rumor-mongering.
We also have arrested four people so far.
The situation under control but tense.” Police said those arrested are from the minority Muslim community.
Meanwhile, villagers harmed from Nainatand blocked NH-2 for more than an hour in the morning, demanding compensation and a government job for the father Pandey – Pandey Satyanand.
Anand said that they have been providing interim assistance of Rs 20,000 to the family of the deceased and assure that parents will get a monthly pension of Rs 6,000 each.
Members of right-wing groups, such as the Bajrang Dal, and the BJP MLA from Hazaribag, Manish Jaiswal, visiting the area.
Meanwhile, the suspension lame internet school function, office, LIC, post offices and banks across Hazaribag.
In Giridih, life was thrown out of gear due to the suspension of the internet.
Police headquarters rushed to Hazaribag additional police forces to maintain law and order.
IG (operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesman Homkar Amol says, “We have deployed an adequate number of police personnel along with the judge in the area.
Senior officers are also working in the field to ensure the return of peace and harmony.” Meanwhile, the opposition, the BJP, criticized the government for termination of internet services and call it an attack on freedom of speech.
State BJP president Deepak Prakash said in a statement the internet has become the backbone for education, work-from-home and other services to the masses during the 19th Covid pandemic and its closure has thrown life out of gear.
Ex-CM raghubar das referred to violence as a result of the apathy of the government to curb anti-national force in the state.
(With inputs from ASRP Mukesh, Sanjay Sahay in Ranchi, Bokaro Divy Khare)