"Watching Closely": Home Ministry On Jodhpur Clashes On Eid

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked for a detailed report from the Rajasthan government over communal tension in the state's Jodhpur region, sources said on Wednesday.

As per the sources, the Ministry is also "watching the situation closely" and getting inputs from the state's administrative and police authorities.

Tension gripped Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's hometown Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to suspend mobile internet services and impose a curfew in 10 police station areas of the city.

There was agitation over putting up religious flags on the Jalori gate circle in Jodhpur, which led to stone-pelting in which five policemen were injured.

The state Chief Minister has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

Following the incident, Jodhpur Police issued orders imposing a curfew till May 4 midnight besides suspending mobile internet services to check the spread of rumours.

The situation was brought under control in the early hours of Tuesday with heavy deployment of police but tension escalated again in the morning after prayers at an Eidgah. Shops, vehicles and houses were pelted with stones near the Jalori gate area.

Members of the minority community were installing Eid flags and they put up a flag on a roundabout alongside the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa. This led to a confrontation as members of the other community alleged that a saffron flag, which they had put up there ahead of Parshuram Jayanti, had gone missing.

The issue snowballed into stone-pelting and clashes, officials said.

The police rushed to the spot to control the situation during which five policemen were injured, the police said.

The police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Mobile internet services were suspended in the area to check the spread of rumours, the officials said.