Kolkata: Communal clashes broke out in four states – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal – during processions yesterday to mark Ram Navami – the festival celebrating the birth of Hindu God Ram.
Parts of Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone were placed under curfew after violence and arson during a Ram Navami procession, a senior official said. Police have been deployed in large numbers to prevent any flare-up.
In Gujarat, communal clashes took place in Anand district’s Khambhat and Sabarkantha district’s Himmatnagar, news agency PTI reported. Stone pelting and arson was reported at both places and police had to fire teargas shells to control the situation, officials said.
In Khambhat, Police superintendent Ajeet Rajyan said, “The body of an unidentified man, who appears to be around 65 years old, was recovered from the spot where the two groups clashed during a Ram Navami procession.”
In Himmatnagar, a mob damaged some vehicles and shops and police had to use teargas shells to control the situation.
In Bengal’s Howrah, policemen have been positioned in large numbers after reports of clashes during a Ram Navami procession in the Shibpur area. Police have said they are taking steps to maintain peace.
Reports of stone-pelting and arson on Ram Navami processions have also come in from Jharkhand’s Lohardaga. Several people were reportedly injured, three of them critically.
