Following an assault on a Muslim man in Bhopal, arrests have been made as authorities work to quell communal tensions and maintain order after protests erupted.
Key Points
- Two individuals arrested in Bhopal after a Muslim man was assaulted for being with a woman from another community.
- The assault led to protests and stone-pelting in Bhopal, requiring police intervention.
- Police are identifying other suspects involved in the Bhopal religious violence incident.
- Community leaders are appealing for calm and urging people not to take the law into their own hands following the assault.
Two persons including a juvenile have been taken into custody in connection with an assault on a Muslim man after he was found with a woman from another community in a hotel in the city, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, which took place on May 10, also led to protests and stone-pelting late on Tuesday night.
A Muslim man was beaten up, smeared with cow dung and paraded on the street by members of a right-wing organisation on Sunday after he was found with a woman from another community in a hotel in Govindpura area.
Police Investigation and Arrests
A case was registered at Govindpura police station and two persons were taken into custody on Wednesday on the basis of video footage and statements of witnesses, said an official.
One of them was a juvenile and he will be presented before the Child Welfare Committee, he said.
Police have also identified other accused, he said.
Protests and Public Reaction
Meanwhile, a mob protested against the May 10 incident in Old Bhopal area and indulged in stone-pelting on late Tuesday night but the police intervened and brought the situation under control. Teargas shells were also used to disperse the mob.
"While many of them left after police intervened, around 300-400 persons continued to protest and also indulged in stone-pelting. A stone hit a vehicle of Tallaiya police station," said Bhopal police commissioner Sanjay Kumar.
A case was registered for stone-pelting while two or three persons were also taken into custody, Kumar said.
A video showed Bhopal Madhya MLA Arif Masood and Bhopal North MLA Atif Aqueel pacifying an angry mob and appealing to the people not to take law into their own hands.
Community Demands and Police Response
Members of the Muslim community also staged a protest outside the Bhopal Police Commissioner's office on Tuesday, disrupting the traffic briefly.
They demanded strict action against the accused in the May 10 incident and warned of a bigger protest if the accused were not arrested.
Police Commissioner Kumar met Bhopal's Qazi-e-Shahar (local Muslim religious authority) Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadvi, and later told reporters that a case had been registered against unidentified individuals who would be traced and arrested soon.
Terming the incident as extremely serious, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) demanded that the police register a case under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
State AIMIM president Mohsin Ali Khan would meet Nadvi and discuss the incident, the party said.
