Jodhpur: The Rajasthan Police has arrested 97 people so far in connection with the violence in Jodhpur. Curfew was imposed after fresh clashes took place between police and members of the Muslim community Tuesday morning.
Jodhpur is the hometown of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who appealed to the public to maintain peace and chaired a high-level meeting after canceling events planned for his birthday Tuesday.
Vandita Rana, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jodhpur West, said: “Preliminary investigation suggests that the reason for the escalation of tensions resulted from one community hoisting an Eid flag over the statue of a freedom fighter.”
“There was a clash between police and people who had offered namaaz on Tuesday morning. The people who had come to offer namaz started sloganeering and forcefully tried to go near the statue and remove a saffron flag that was put there after last night’s clashes. Police had to use force to disperse (the crowd). The clash this morning was with the police, not the other community,” DCP Rana said.
(Smit Soni)