Criminal gangs engineered communal clashes, say authorities

Provocation by members of two rival criminal gangs and not any eve-teasing led to clashes between two communities causing law and order problem for the last five days in Jamshedpur, top officials of the East Singhbhum district today said.

Jamshedpur,: Provocation by members of two rival criminal gangs and not any eve-teasing led to clashes between two communities causing law and order problem for the last five days in Jamshedpur, top officials of the East Singhbhum district today said.

The gangs having having members from both the communities did this because of rivalry, Deputy Commissioner Dr Amitabh Kaushal and Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop T Mathew told a press conference tonight.

The two gangs headed by Asif Akhtar alias Sibu and Md Waris clashed on July 19 at Bawangoda Chowk under Azadnagar police station and Sibu and his aide Jasim were injured.

The next evening when Sibu along with 11 of associates were drinking liquor near Gandhi Maidan under Mango police station, Waris and his gang members Chotu Pandit, Monu Pandey, Jalla Firoz, Saddam Bacha, Faiyaz and Gulzar attacked them.

The attackers, however, had to flee as Sibu's men outnumbered them and retaliated, the two officials said.

Later, Chotu and Monu incited his community members and succeeded them in putting up road blockade near Hanuman temple under Mango police station.

On the other hand, Sibu and his associate Captain Pappu, with the help of Sibu's father, convinced their community members and put up road blockade at a place under Azadnagar police station, Mathew said.

When police reached the spot, they were brickbatted by both sides who wanted to give it a communal colour, he said.

Mathew said there was no case of eve-teasing but the criminals managed to provoke people on communal line leading to the clashes, forcing the district administration to clamp prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC and curfew.

Two members of Sibu's gang, Babai Nandi alias Putik and Jasim, were produced in the press conference.

The SSP had said two days ago that there was a possibility that the cause of the violence might be something else than the alleged harassment of a girl, for which no complaint was filed.

Police have arrested several members of both the gangs including Sibu and his father, he said adding police raids were on to arrest others at large including Waris.

Meanwhile, the district authorities today extended relaxation in curfew from 9 AM to 6 PM in four riot-affected police stations - Mango, Azadnagar, Olidih and MGM - while the relaxation was between 6 AM and 10 PM in rest of the police stations of the steel city, the officials said.