AHMEDABAD: At least 20 rioters were detained on Tuesday in Vadodara after communal clashes broke out at the Panigate area at around 1 am on Diwali night. Rioters torched shops and vehicles, and petrol bombs were hurled at police officials, including Deputy Police Commissioner Yaspal Jaganiya, as members of two communities clashed over the bursting of firecrackers.
Speaking to the media, Jaganiya said, “The exact reason for the communal clash has not been ascertained yet. But the moment we were informed about the clash, police from across the city was moved in and the situation was brought under control.”
He added, “A petrol bomb was hurled at the police from the terrace of a house. Twenty persons have been taken into custody, including the one who allegedly hurled the petrol bomb.”
Police officials said that they are probing if a preplanned conspiracy was behind the incident because streetlights were cut off at around 1 am when some residents were still bursting crackers. “There had been some disagreement over the bursting of crackers, and both sides began pelting stones at each other,” a police official said.
“With the help of CCTV footage and local residents’ identification, those behind the clash will be arrested soon,” he added. This is not first time during this festive season that communal clashes have broken out in Vadodara district. On October 3, violence erupted in the district’s Savli town over the hoisting of religious flags.