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A day after riots, fear and threat loom large in Harsul

A day after riot, arson, stone pelting by adivasis and firing by police in Harsul, the situation continued to be tense on Wednesday, with looting and shop breaking increasing to the hilt.

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The police had to open fire to disperse the mob. Over 35 policemen were injured in the incident on Tuesday.
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A day after riot, arson, stone pelting by adivasis and firing by police in Harsul, the situation continued to be tense on Wednesday, with looting and shop breaking increasing to the hilt.

More than 35 cops were injured and police had opened a round of firing to disperse the mob in which one person was hit with a bullet in the thigh. He later died due to blood loss. Around 3,000 personnel were deployed in a town with a population of 5,000.

On Wednesday, streets were strewn with material from shops, grains lay on roads, shops broken with shutters half open, glass panes broken, told the story of stone pelting, black soot around was a tale tell of the burning incidents, a motorcycle all brazen had borne the burnt.

"My grain shop was robbed completely. I have suffered a loss of Rs20 lakh. People are behaving as if they have lost their senses," said Mahendra Devrgaonkar, who was standing in his vacant shop.

However, Wednesday did not see any difference of communities which was the point a day earlier, but stone pelting on cops continued. "At one time 800-1,000 stones came showering injuring many policemen," added Devergaonkar. "The miscreants come from mountains, threw stones, robbed and vanished," said a local. "Those who were looting and pelting stones appeared to have come from neighbouring hamlets, some could have been locals; they used Guerrilla tactics and dispersed into the mountains," said SP Sanjay Mohite.

"This anger was more against the system than against any community. Patience barrier of people broke after death of the boy, which was shown as an accident. Local leaders explained the situation to administrative authorities, but nothing has changed," said an adivasi.

The night between Tuesday and Wednesday was crucial as it was a Badi raat – the long night of prayer for Muslims during Ramzan. Tension prevailed and units of SRPF, CRP, commandos, striking force and the police rushed to Harsul from Nashik to keep vigil.

Guardian minister Girish Mahajan, district collector Dipendrassingh Kushawa, MP Harishchandra Chavan and IG (special) range Singh rushed to the town where Mohite was camping since Tuesday.

Meanwhile in Nashik, the situation was under control even as the city was put on high alert. It was reported that some youth tried to gather at places in Nashik at night as a reaction to Harsul incident but were stopped by cops.

"We took some meetings and explained the situation to all. People in Nashik were cooperative," said police commissioner S Jaggannthan.

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