Jodhpur violence: Shekhawat accuses state govt of not taking action against rioters

JODHPUR: As communal tension gripped Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accused the Congress-led Rajasthan government of not taking action against those who created ruckus in the city after offering Namaz at Eidgah and asserted that the police are working under "invisible" pressure.

The senior BJP leader also accused the ruling Congress of "doing the politics of appeasement" and threatened that he, along with other leaders of the party, will sit on a dharna at Jalori gate circle if the rioters are not arrested.

Shekhawat said that miscreants pelted stones at houses and shops, insulted women, and attacked people with knives at several places on Tuesday after the Namaz was over, but police remained mute spectator.

"Chief Minister (Ashok Gehlot) blames RSS and BJP for provoking riots, but was there any RSS or BJP worker today? What happened today during Namaz that they came out and created ruckus in the city. They entered houses, thrashed people, pelted stones at houses and shops, damaged vehicles," he told reporters here.

Shekhawat said that the police took no serious action after the tension last night and as a result of it, riots took place. "The kind of 'tandav' that happened today has never happened in Jodhpur. This is not the tradition in Jodhpur," he said.

The Union minister said that he, along with other leaders, visited the spots and talked to people. "One man was stabbed and is struggling for life in hospital. The miscreants also insulted women and broke the leg of a girl. They also tried to damage a temple in Sunaro Ka Baas area," he alleged.

He said that he spoke to the Jodhpur collector and police commissioner and asked them to identify and arrest the accused. "Collector has informed us that eight-nine persons have been identified. I told him that if the accused are not arrested, we will sit on a dharna at Jalori gate circle," he said, adding that the party's top leadership has sought feedback on Jodhpur violence.

Communal tension broke out in the chief minister's hometown hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to impose curfew in 10 police stations areas in the city.

The tension broke out past midnight over the issue of putting up Islamic flags on Jalori gate circle, which led to stone pelting in which five policemen were injured, the police control room said.

After Namaz at Eidgah near Jalori gate was over on Tuesday morning, tension escalated again with people pelting stones at shops, vehicles and houses.

Heavy deployment of police has been made in the area, officials said. The chief minister said instructions had been issued to the administration to maintain peace and order.