Tension gripped Sihora town in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district after members of two communities clashed late on Thursday night, leading to stone-pelting and vandalism that forced police to fire tear gas shells. Forty-nine people have been arrested so far, officials said on Friday.
The violence broke out around 10 pm in the Azad Chowk area, prompting the deployment of heavy police force. According to eyewitnesses, a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga and a mosque are located in close proximity in the locality. They said an altercation erupted during an ‘aarti’ at the temple over alleged damage to its safety grill, following which both sides hurled stones and vandalised nearby shops and vehicles.
Superintendent of Police Sampat Upadhyay said the police initially used mild force but later fired eight to ten tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Senior police and administrative officials visited the spot to assess the situation, while additional forces were requisitioned from outside the district.
Additional Superintendent of Police Suryakant Sharma said, “We have arrested 49 persons in this connection so far. Others involved in the violence are being identified and will be arrested soon.” He added that some protesters alleged vandalism of the temple and claimed stones had been hoarded near another place of worship, points mentioned in their memorandum.
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District Collector Raghavendra Singh, speaking from the spot nearly 40 km from the district headquarters, said the situation was now under control and ruled out the imposition of prohibitory orders. He maintained that the stone-pelting was limited to two groups and that the temple remained undamaged.
Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said directions had been issued to ensure maintenance of law and order, asserting that the administration was handling the matter effectively. In Bhopal, Minister Vishwas Sarang said no individual or group had the right to take the law into their own hands and that an investigation was underway into a viral video purportedly showing stones being hurled from atop a mosque.
On Friday afternoon, activists of a right-wing organisation staged a protest outside a police station, demanding action against those involved. Local corporator Arshad Khan termed the incident “deplorable” and urged that innocent persons not be penalised, while those responsible be punished. He said 20 to 30 motorcycles and five cars were damaged in the violence.
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