Bhopal: An Intelligence report indicating government employees’ role in violence in Gwalior, Bhind and Morena during Bharat Bandh has come as a shocker for not only the police but also the state government.
Sources claimed that the report has also identified conspirators who provoked violence during peaceful agitation. Around 30 to 35 groups of Dalits and unreserved category were involved in inciting violence.Citing use of WhatsApp and Facebook in spreading disharmony among people, the report said that groups of government employees battled it out on social media accusing each other of suppressing their rights and opportunities.
IG, intelligence, Makrand Deouskar said that in Gwalior, Bhind and Morena groups of government employees also distributed lathis and iron rods among protesters and incited them into resorting to violence.The report also indicts workers and members of major political parties for their role in the violence for political mileage. The report said that perpetrators wanted to ensure repeat of Mandsaur incident where in six farmers were killed in police firing on June 6, 2017.
However, contrary to their expectation, police dealt with the situation in a more professional manner.The report said that the students and others were incited through social media and added that the former were made a scape goat by perpetrators of violence. The report said that these groups wanted to provoke police into taking extreme step against agitators to put the blame on the state government.
Meanwhile, the number of people arrested in connection with Bharat Bandh violence in Morena has gone up to 257. The number of people arrested in Gwalior and Bhind stood at 205 and 60 respectively. A large number of conspirators have been arrested in Sagar, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Balaghat and other places.Social media main culprit Social media had emerged as a major weapon in hands of anti-social elements.
The police have so far been unable to arrest the trend. The police are currently collecting call details of government employees and others to take action. An official said, “Server of WhatsApp and Facebook is not based in the country. Hence we can do little to check social media. Central government has been asked to take steps in this regard.”Ambedkar statues vandalised in Satna, Bhind & BalaghatEight days ahead of Dr B R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, three of his statues were on Friday found vandalised in state.
A statue of Ambedkar was found damaged in Amoda area in Satna district on Friday morning, superintendent of police Rajesh Hingankar said. Another statue of the Dalit icon was found vandalised in Indira Nagar area under the Mehgaon police station limits in Bhind district on Friday morning, said inspector N K Tripathi.
Three dalits, including two women, were arrested following the damage of the statue in Mehgaon, he said and added that dalits wanted to create violence on the issue in the area.The Satna SP said a new statue of Ambedkar would be installed in Amoda. In both cases, police have registered cases and probe is on, officials said. The situation was peaceful in both the districts. Another Ambedkar statue was damaged in Balaghat.
