Fresh case of stone pelting in Gujarat; CM holds meet, 31 held so far

Following fresh incidents of stone pelting in Himmatnagar of Sabarkantha on Monday night and clashes between communities in Khambhat and Himmatnagar towns on the occasion of Ram Navami processions, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired a high-level meeting with senior police and administrative officials in Gandhinagar on Tuesday morning.

Fresh incidents of stone pelting were reported in Himmatnagar on Monday night, a day after several people were injured in a clash between communities during the Ram Navami procession in the area, the police said. Ten people were detained following the incident, officers said.

Around 11 pm on Monday, incidents of stone pelting between communities were reported in Vanzaravas area of Himmatnagar town after which the police fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob, officers said.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday morning, Sabarkantha Superintendent of Police Vishalkumar Vaghela said, "After the police received information of stone pelting in Vanzaravas, teams were rushed to the spot to control the situation.The police also fired tear gas shells to disperse the stone pelters. We have detained 10 anti-social elements and an FIR is being lodged in the matter. The RAF, SRP and local police have been deployed in the area."

A curfew under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is currently in place in Himmatnagar till Wednesday following an order by District Collector Hitesh Koya, and troops of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) as well as the State Reserve Police (SRP) have been deployed in the town to restore law and order, officers said.

DGP Bhatia and Minister Sanghavi reached Himmatnagar on Tuesday to take stock of the law and order situation.

On Sunday afternoon, clashes between communities occurred in the Chhaparia area of Himmatnagar when a Ram Navami procession was passing through. Over 15 persons, including four policemen, were injured in the incident and a few vehicles and shops were set ablaze.