The police have, however, kept a strict vigil in the area to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order
Two days after clashes broke out between two communities, the Gali Jatan area at Sadar Bazar remained peaceful on Thursday and people continued with their business with complete normalcy. Locals maintained that it was a small fight and things got under control soon after the police arrived.
Speaking to DNA, Sandeep Rathore, a local, said that the fight started around 1.00 am on Wednesday. "When I came out of my house, I saw a group of people from the other community abusing. Some of them had also kicked a couple of motorcycles down onto the road and taken to stone pelting.
"But there was no major fight as such because very few people reacted to the provocation and police arrived within half an hour," Rathore added.
While Rathore was one of the few who was a witness to the incident, most of the residents in the area, however, expressed ambiguity over it. "Most of us do not really know what exactly happened as were asleep around that time," said Akash Mathur, another local.
"We only heard that there were some heated moments between two different groups and some manhandling as well. But it was peaceful by the time we had woken up," Mathur added.
The police have, however, kept a strict vigil in the area to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order. Satish Kumar, on duty from the Lahori Gate Police station, said, "Around forty policemen from different police stations have been brought here since Wednesday morning. Policemen in units of six-seven have been stationed in different locations to keep an eye on any potential source of violence."
The locals, however, insisted on harmonious coexistence of different communities and ruled out the possibility of any communal conflict emerging out of the situation.
Aslam, a middle-aged man living in the area for generations, said that people from different faiths have always lived in the area peacefully and they would continue to do so in the future.
"Although it was a minor fight, but whatever happened was unfortunate. As far as I know, some people were intoxicated and thus got into a brawl. But such sporadic incidents do not reflect the otherwise peaceful character of our area," Aslam asserted.
RESIDENTS SAY...
- “There was no major fight as such because very few people reacted to the provocation and police arrived within half an hour,” Sandeep Rathore, a local, said
- “We only heard that there were some heated moments between two different groups,” said Akash Mathur, a local
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