Gujarat SIT To Probe Stone-pelting During Ram Navami Procession In Vadodara

After alleged stone-pelting and unlawful activities on March 30, at the Ram Navami procession in the Kumbharwada-Hathikhana area of Vadodara city in Gujarat, a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case. According to sources, the SIT team consists of 5 cops, headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP (Crime). 

A day after the reported violence during the Ram Navami procession, the Vadodara police arrested as many as 23 persons linked with instigating riot and carrying out unlawful activities. The police found over 350 footage of the clash and arrested all the accused based on the footage. 

According to sources, 23 people who are arrested in connection with the violence in Vadodara, including five women. A local court in Vadodara has sent five out of 23 arrested to police remand and 18 to judicial custody. The accused have also lodged a bail plea in the court, which is expected to be heard on Saturday. 

Heavy police deployment to restore peace 

The Vadodara city police on March 30, conducted a combing operation throughout the night where the stone-pelting incident took place. According to the Joint Commissioner of Police, Vadodara, Manoj Ninama, as many as 400 police personnel were involved in the combing operation to prevent further conflicts and restore peace. 

Joint CP, Ninama, said, "While 23 persons have been arrested after the mandatory RTPCR tests and medical checkups, 22 other names have emerged and we are probing the involvement. Additionally, a mob of about 500 persons has been booked in the FIR.” Few witnesses of the incident in conflict-hit areas have claimed that the clash broke out after the Ram Navami procession was crossing the minority-dominated areas. 

Meanwhile, violence also erupted in West Bengal's Howrah area on March 30, during the procession on Ram Navami. However, the latest statement from the police officials highlights that the situation in Howrah district's Kazipara area is peaceful and under control on Saturday, even as prohibitory order was still in force in the area. Internet connections remained suspended even as prohibitory order under CrPC Section 144 was still in place in and around the area where several shops and residences were vandalised during the clashes.