Tension prevailed in Dewan Bazaar area when members of two communities clashed over a cricket match played by youngsters in the locality here on Sunday.
The stand-off continued till late in the night even as senior police officials rushed to the spot and tried to engage both the groups in a bid to restore normalcy in the area. Armed police were deployed to prevent any flare-up.According to reports, a group of youngsters belonging to one community of Dewan Bazaar were playing cricket when they were allegedly subjected to crude remarks by a group belonging to another community of Odia Bazaar. This was protested by the elders of the first community. Even as the altercation continued, the group from Odia Bazaar allegedly beat up members of the other community.
As the situation began to escalate, police rushed to the area. The entire area was cordoned off and senior officials stepped up efforts to calm down passions.