A communal clash over installation of a temporary decorative gate near a mosque for the upcoming Shivratri festival left half a dozen policemen injured in Panki town of Palamu district in Jharkhand on Wednesday, forcing authorities to clamp prohibitory orders in the area and shutting mobile internet services across the district, officials said.
The clash broke out at Panki, around 45 kilometres from the district headquarter town Palamu, around 8 am when the puja committee members and members of the Muslim community came face to face near the mosque, with the latter opposing installation of the gate near the mosque.
The tension soon flared up into stone pelting from both sides and arson, creating a chaos in the market. As police rushed in to contain violence, they also came under attack, leading to injuries to over half a dozen of them.
“Seven policemen, including a deputy SP, got injured in the violence. No civilian was injured and we have brought the situation under control. Section 144 has been imposed in entire Panki administrative block area. We have also shut internet services in the district as a precautionary measure to check rumour mongering,” said Palamu deputy commissioner A Dode.
Dode, who was a camping at Panki along with superintendent of police (SP) Chandan Sinha, said around half a dozen shops and two houses were partially burnt in the arson by the rioters, besides half a dozen two-wheelers.
The police have registered a case and six persons have been arrested so far, he said.
