Over 300 cops and a team of fire brigade have been deployed in the area to control any untoward incident.
Police on Friday arrested 9 people responsible for rioting in Sanand on Thursday night and have geared up to arrest at least 15 more.
Over 300 cops and a team of fire brigade have been deployed in the area to control any untoward incident. Mob manhandled four cops in the melee and police fired around 20 rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the unruly mob. Police sources said two shops, five vehicles and around 12 hand carts and roadside shops were burnt during the clash. "For more than an hour we couldn't do anything and had to run for our lives. In fact, the mob indulged in fighting with police a couple of hours after the clash between the two communities," said a police official.
Explaining the situation, district superintendent of police Sandeep Singh said the police were in the middle of the mob. The area near Sanand bus stand from where the clash erupted is dominated by Dalits. At the other side, near Nalsarovar circle, Darbars have majority presence. Both sides started pelting stones during the clash in which cops got stuck in the middle.
"By the time we called for additional reinforcements, clashes between the two communities had almost stopped, and the mob started targeting the police," Singh said, who added that three FIRs have been lodged in connection with the clash, two from both the communities while the third was lodged by the police itself.
While thick smoke still billowed from roadside shops, firemen fought hard to douse fresh flames that leaped up sporadically from the rubble. A paan kiosk still blazed when district SP, Sandeep Singh, popped up with a helmet on his head waving a wooden stick in his hand.
"Things are under control now," he said with a relieved gesture, while Ashish Bhatia, Ahmedabad range inspector-general strolled the area which witnessed a curfew-like situation after it was ransacked by Dalits and Darbars. A spat between two individuals - a shopkeeper and a Dalit customer - exploded to such proportions that it literally put the main market of Sanand in ransom.
This is the first time such violent clashes erupted between the two communities. Many police officials were also of the opinion that only the Darbars and Kodi Patels were known to fight each other while Dalits distanced themselves from such violent activities.
Rubble lying on the road revealed the magnitude of violence. Near the police outpost couple of bikes, including one that belonged to cops, lay in cinders. "We had to run away from the mob initially when the brawl started and could intervene only when additional forces arrived," said a constable. In fact, a new battle started between the mob and cops. By 1 am, an uneasy calm prevailed over Sanand. A middle-aged woman with her teenaged daughter came searching for her missing husband.
"Where can I find him, saheb?", she asked the cops, who however, chose to ignore her out of anger. The night too seemed equally angry.
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