BJP Leader Among 60 Arrested For Jamshedpur Clashes Over Religious Flag Desecration

A BJP leader was among 60 people arrested in connection with violence over the alleged desecration of a religious flag in Shastrinagar area of Jamshedpur city in Jharkhand, police said on Monday.

Internet services were suspended in the city at 8 am but later lifted at 7 pm as no fresh incident of violence was reported.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC, however, remained clamped in the area where clashes took place between two groups on Sunday evening.

Also, a total of 1,120 people have been booked over the clashes, of whom 120 have been named.

Police also conducted a flag march in the area on Monday morning and evening but no fresh incident has been reported.

"Around 60 people, including BJP leader Abhay Singh, have been arrested," SSP Prabhat Kumar said, adding further investigation is underway.

Mr Singh is a former president of the BJP's East Singhbhum district unit and is presently the party's in-charge of Dhanbad.

An adequate police force has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order, he said.

"A total of 120 named and 1,000 unknown people have been booked but the situation is under control at present," Superintendent of Police (City) K Vijayshankar told PTI.

Dhalbhum SDO Piyush Sinha said internet services were suspended at 8 am but later lifted at 7 pm following an improvement in the situation as no fresh incidents of violence were reported since the clamping of prohibitory orders on Sunday night.

East Singhbhum District Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav said all block officials and circle officials have been asked to remain alert.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)