Communal violence breaks out in Gujarat’s Vadodara over road accident, 20 arrested

Just days after communal violence was reported from Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, incidents of clashes were also reported from the Vadodara area of Gujarat that was reportedly incited by a minor road accident. The clash soon turned violent, with reports of assault and stone-pelting.

According to the police, the communal clashes in Gujarat’s Vadodara saw rioters throwing stones, vandalising a shrine and damaging some vehicles, which resulted in three people getting injured.

According to PTI reports, officials have said that the police have now arrested 19 people for rioting after the incident that occurred late Sunday night and three others in connection with the road accident involving two-wheelers.

A Karelibaug police station official said that the clash broke out following a road accident involving two-wheelers belonging to people from two communities in the city's Raopura locality.

The matter escalated and in no time people from two communities gathered and hurled stones at each other in the Karelibaug locality, neighboring the Raopura area. Police officials further said that a mob vandalised the idol at a shrine located on the roadside, with two autorickshaws, and as many two-wheelers.

Additional Commissioner of Police Chirag Koradia, according to PTI reports, said that as many as 19 people have been arrested in connection with the communal clashes in Gujarat, and they have been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code such as rioting, unlawful assembly, holding deadly weapons, defiling the place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class.

While speaking to reporters, Karodia said, “All the 19 persons named in the Karelibaug FIR for rioting were arrested during the combing operation carried out last night. Efforts are on to nab the unidentified accused.”

This comes after a series of communal violence instances have been recorded in parts of the country, most notable in the national capital New Delhi on Hanuman Jayanti, when a procession was attacked by a group in the Jahangirpuri area.

Instances of communal violence were also noted in other states on Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and others.

(With PTI inputs)

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