Two communities in Ahmedabad clashed with each other over an atrocity case in which some members of one community were booked
Navratri is not just fun, dance and general merrymaking - it also has its share of turbulences at times. Around 12 people sustained injuries in a clash that took place between people of two communities - darbars and dalits - during Navratri on Tuesday.
Cops said that the incident was a retaliation by some members of darbar community who were booked by dalits on October 1 in an atrocity case with Sanand police. According to cops members of darbar community went to attend the festival organised by dalits in their area on Saturday. "While garba was going on, some girls complained of molestation and subsequently the darbars were asked to leave the venue. This irked them and a fight ensued," said a cop at Sanand police station.
One Mukesh Gunvant lodged an FIR against five people of darbar community. This act made the villagers very tense fearing further clashes. On Tuesday, another round of violence erupted in the village.
"A dalit was riding a bike near a temple where women from darbar community were worshipping. Some men from the darbar community asked him to change the route which angered the biker. A heated exchange followed and he was beaten up," said Sanand police station officials.
Meanwhile, the dalit man brought five to six people from his community and another round of fight broke out between the two communities. According to Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat, district superintendent of police, Ahmedabad district, by the time police were informed, the incident was brought under control.
Bhagat said that 12 policemen have been deployed in the village to stop further escalation of violence. He also said that Tuesday's incident was a repercussion of what had happened on October 1 during the garba in dalit area. He said that a case of rioting has been lodged with Sanand police.
With this, the total number of communal violence incidents in Ahmedabad district has risen to 36 in 2011. In the first six months of 2011, rural areas registered a total of 35 instances of rioting compared to previous year's 31 cases. A total of 55 such incidents were reported in 2010.
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