Clashes broke out between people belonging to two communities at Bholakpur and adjoining areas on Wednesday night leading to tension and clamping of prohibitory orders in Musheerabad police station limits.
In the clashes, one person was stabbed, six others, including central zone DCP Tarun Joshi, were injured in subsequent stone pelting. A couple of cars were also damaged by the protestors.
Even as trouble was continuing in Musheerabad area, police were kept on tenterhooks as people of two communities clashed at Mangalhat area around the same time.
The torching of a religious flag in the early hours of Thursday at Mohammedguda in Chikalguda put police force on an alert throughout the day. According to police, trouble began around 9 pm when a person was allegedly attacked by some persons when he was tending an ox at Talla Basti in Kavadiguda. The attackers suspected that the ox was being taken for slaughtering. The injured person, however, claimed that the ox belongs to him.
As the news about the attack spread, relatives of the youth protested before the Musheerabad police station demanding action against the attackers. Even as police promised to punish the guilty, the protestors damaged a pandal and a religious place near Musheerabad police station.
The other group retaliated by pelting stones and the two groups indulged in heavy stone pelting for more than four hours before police could bring the situation under control. The miscreants damaged two RTC buses, two cars and two other vehicles. The injured were shifted to Gandhi hospital where their condition is said to be stable. Police registered 13 cases against persons belonging to both communities. City police commissioner Anurag Sharma said seven persons have been arrested and some other suspects are being interrogated.
MBT corporator Amjedullah Khan visited the area and demanded stern action against the attackers.
Around the same time, two groups pelted stones on each other during a religious procession at Mangalhat.
Police said a person, who was reportedly in an inebriated condition, entered the locality of people belonging to another community holding a stick. Locals suspected that the person was attacking them and pelted stones on him. The person ran away and complained to his friends taking part in the religious procession, who rained stones on the other group.
Police rushed to the spot and dispersed both the groups.