Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The police registered cases against 32 people for arson and violence at Bhimpur block in Betul during JAYSí protest meet on Saturday evening, officials said on Sunday.
The tribals had gathered to protest against the encroachment of a hospital land in their area on Saturday evening. It turned violent and led to a fire in the local shops. The protestors have claimed that the rioters who broke the order were not one of them.
The police and fire brigade doused the flames and talked to protestors.
We had rounded 20 protestors the same night to investigate the matter. Although there was no major loss of life or property, the people who deteriorated law and order need to be booked, said Betul SP Simala Prasad.
She further said that by Sunday 32 people were identified who were involved in putting kiosks on fire and those who pelted stones at policemen. Cases have been registered against them and arrests have been made, she added.
The department deployed police forces in the area to maintain order from Saturday evening. Most shops remained closed on Sunday too due to the incident.
The members of JAYS (Jai Yuva Adivasi Sangathan) have claimed that the riot did not begin from their side. Some miscreants had entered the crowd to deteriorate the situation.
More than 2,000 protestors had gathered and as the situation escalated, they had put two of the kiosks on fire, which eventually spread.
Few people started pelting stones at the policemen when they reached the spot. The police resorted to lathicharge and lobbed tear gas shells on the crowd. About 20 police personnel were injured in the commotion.
