Soro: Even as four days have passed since violent clashes between members of two groups erupted here in Balasore district, the area continued to remain tense as the district administration clamped evening to dawn curfew in the town Monday.
The area witnessed bloody clashes between the two groups over playing of DJ music system near a shrine of a particular community at Adang Bazaar during Ganesh idol immersion procession Friday.
Both the groups indulged in brick-batting and hurled bottles at each other. Ten persons were rendered critical during the incident.
The administration decided to act tough and imposed curfew after miscreants reportedly torched a poultry farm, garages and wielding shops in the town late Sunday night.
The curfew will remain in force from 6PM Monday till 6AM Tuesday. Meanwhile, the total number of arrests in the incident has gone up to six. Two persons – Allar Khan of Tarmohalla and Sheikh Sibul of Chhatrapur – were arrested Sunday while four more were arrested Monday.
They were identified as Gyanaranjan Kar and Manoranjan Dhada of Chhatrapur and Akhil Kumar Khandelwal and Sridhar Dhada of Adanga Bazaar. Police patrolling has been intensified while intersections at strategic locations have been sealed to prevent rising incidents of arson in the town.
The administration is likely to relax the prohibitory orders under CrPc Section-144 from 8AM till 2 PM Tuesday in view of the Idd-Ul-Juha festival. However, the administration has declared a ban on any kind of procession or rally during the period.
All efforts by collector Pramod Kumar Das, DG Satyajit Mohanty, SP Niti Sekhar and DIG Ghanashyam Upadhaya to re-establish peace in the area have failed as both sides continue to remain at loggerheads over the issue.
Jawans conducted flag march in the town but that has failed to ease tension in the area. Sporadic incidents of torching of garages, poultry farms, tyre retreading and welding shops are reported from various parts of the town. Earlier, shops and business establishments had remained closed due to imposition of prohibitory orders under Section-144.
It was, however, relaxed Monday from 10 AM till 2PM but only a few shops were seen opened during the period. PNN
