They Win. Jamshedpur Loses. Section 144 in Shashtri Nagar.

QRT, RAF deployed; uneasy calm in Shashtri Nagar as DC Vijaya Jadhav appeals for peace

Jamshedpur: The trouble-makers finally won. They succeeded in disturbing the communal peace in Shastri Nagar area in Kadma, Jamshedpur. Shops have been burnt. Stones were pelted. Bullets were fired. Now, the administration has imposed section 144 in the area. At least 60 miscreants from both sides have been taken into custody. RAF and QRT teams have been deployed.

The situation is under control. However, the communal harmony has definitely been dented. In a way, the troublemakers have won in their attempt to throw a distrust spanner in the normal life works of the city of Jamshedpur.

Earlier, the day saw all the drama that usually goes with any communal disturbance anywhere in India. Stones were pelted, shops were burnt, bullets were fired, tear gas shells were used, RAF and QRT teams were deployed, policemen were injured, officials were camping and DC made appeals for calm and issued warning of strict legal action.

All these boringly routine details on a single day.

For those who do not live in the city, communal violence erupted in Jamshedpur on Sunday evening, following a controversy that began during the lowering of the Mahaviri flag at the Jatadhari Hanuman temple in Shastri Nagar Block No. 3 on Saturday.

A piece of meat was found near the bamboo of the flag and that sparked a controversy..

The raging emotions were eventually pacified by the administration on Saturday and it seemed as if the administration had succeeded in controlling the situation and the issue was over.

However, the situation escalated on Sunday evening, when allegedly people from one community began pelting stones at the meeting of people from another community.

This resulted in violence that quickly spread, with people from both sides engaging in stone pelting and damaging vehicles and shops.

The police had to face a lot of difficulties in controlling the crowd, and five to six policemen were injured in the violent clash.

Section 144 imposed in Shastri Nagar

In response to the violence, the district administration imposed Section 144 in Shastri Nagar to maintain law and order.

The SDO announced this through a loudspeaker, and an appeal was also made to the people for cooperation in maintaining peace in the area.

Deputy Commissioner appeals for peace

Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum, Smt. Vijaya Jadhav, has appealed to all residents of the city and district to cooperate with the administration to create a peaceful environment and maintain communal harmony.

She also warned of anti-social elements attempting to disrupt the peace and announced that police force, magistrates, Quick Response Team (QRT), Rapid Action Force (RAF), and Anti-Riot resources had been deployed to maintain law and order.

Police response

The police were quick to respond to the situation, and RAF was deployed along with the police force.

The administration even flew a drone to identify the stone pelters. Tear gas was used to control the crowd, and the police fired four shells of tear gas.

60 miscreants taken into custody

According to reports, 60 miscreants were taken into custody in connection with the violence. The police are also investigating the matter to identify the people responsible for the violence and the conspiracy behind it.

Uneasy calm in Shashtri Nagar area

The situation is under control in Shashtri Nagar area amid the presence of security forces and under the vigil of the administration.

However, the communal harmony has been dented and it would take a long time before complete normalcy is restored. And no one knows when the distrust between the two communities would be resolved.

The violence in Shashtri Nagar is a disturbing reminder of the potential of violence present at every nook and corner of the city and the country.

It is now obvious that any troublemaker can spark off communal tension with even small mischief and people from both sides can take to streets to take law into their hands and thus ultimately serve the purpose of the troublemakers themselves.