On Sunday night, violence erupted between two groups belonging to different communities over the removal of a Saffron flag in the Achalpur town of Amravati district in Maharashtra. To maintain law and order, the administration had to impose Section 144 in the area.
The Police had to use tear gas shells to control the situation as violence escalated. Meanwhile, BJP leaders including state spokesperson Shivrai Kulkarni and district BJP head Nivedita Chaudhari have now been barred from entering the city by the Police.
Communal violence struck Amravati’s Achalpur after two groups clashed with each other over raising a saffron flag at the city’s Dulha gate. The tension increased after one group raised a saffron flag atop the gateway, which serves as a historical monument built with Islamic-style architecture in the city, and the other group objected. The fight suddenly snowballed into stone-pelting. The Police entering the scene to control the situation were also attacked with stones and a police constable was injured during the skirmish. Several vehicles were also damaged during the violence.
As reported by Times Now, the violence broke out after Hindu groups hoisted a saffron flag atop the Dulha Gate, which serves as the main entrance to the town, to mark Hanuman Jayanti on Sunday.
Maharashtra: Clash erupts in Amravati over Bhagwa flag hoising. 16 people arrested,@radhika1705 joins @anchoramitaw @prathibhatweets with details.#Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/ItPcwmcvQx
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 18, 2022
After stone-pelting started around 9 PM on the night of April 17, the police arrested 16 people involved in the violence. Section 144 has been imposed in the town while the police department is monitoring the situation with the help of drone cameras. ADSP Amravati, Shahsikant Satav appealed to the public to maintain calm and not believe in rumors. According to Police, the residents put up flags of various religions atop the Khidki Gate and the Dulha Gate every year to mark festivities.
As a reaction to control the situation the city police have now barred BJP leaders from entering the city. The news of stone-pelting in Achalpur is not a standalone case, with numerous incidents of stone-pelting being reported from Delhi to Hubli in Karnataka to Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh on Hanuman Jayanti.
