BHOPAL: Jabalpur district administration will probe whether the Friday’s violence sparked by protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was pre-planned.
Sources in the district administration said the violence may have been pre-planned to provoke the police to resort to firing which did not happen. The administration clamped curfew in the city after the violence erupted in which 12 policemen suffered injuries.
Nevertheless, as no fresh incident of violence was reported from anywhere in the city, the administration gave seven-hour relaxation in the curfew on Sunday.
The violence which occurred in the communally sensitive Char Khamba locality under Gohalpur police station flags possibility that it may have been pre-planned to provoke the police to open fire on the protesters.
The violence which happened in Char Khamba locality at around 4.30 pm on Friday had all characteristics of having been meticulously planned in advance.
Sources informed that some of the protesters had particularly targeted and damaged 3-4 CCTV cameras, to prevent from being identified by the police. Many of the violent mob were either kids aged below 10 years or teenagers aged up to 15-16 years. A large number of those who indulged in violence had covered their faces with wet cloths possibly to deal with the impact of the tear gas shells fired by the cops.
In fact it is suspected that in a very calculated manner large mob of over a thousand protesters armed with stones circled 10-odd cops led by a Circle SP (CSP) level officer in Char Khamba locality. The cops fired tear gas shells, followed by stun-grenades and later even responded with stones pelted by the mob, before cane charging, but were outnumbered and circled by the mob.
The violent mob was only 30-40 meters from the ten odd cops and was pelting stones on the men in khakhi, when fresh police reinforcements reached the spot and joined their embattled colleagues.
Sources claimed that if the reinforcement would have not reached on time they have no option to open fire on the mob in which most of them were kids, “It seemed it was a well thought conspiracy by vested interests to compel the cops to open fire on kids and teenagers for making it a bigger human rights issue in the days to come”.
Curfew relaxed, 50 persons arrested so far: SP
On Sunday, SP of Jabalpur district Amit Singh that six cases of rioting and preventing government servants from discharge of duties have been lodged and around 50 persons arrested so far.“Curfew was relaxed in the four police station areas, Gohalpur, Hanumantal, Adhartal and Kotwali for seven hours on Sunday and with no untoward incident being reported from anywhere now, curfew might well be lifted on Monday,” he added Singh.
Earlier on Friday evening SP had told journalists that kids and teenagers aged between 7 and 15 years were at the front of the stone pelting mob. “Those children and teenagers, who might not know anything about the NRC or CAA, were at the front of the mob pelting stones on cops. We’ll identify all those present in the mob, including minors and teenagers and their guardians and will act against them legally,” Singh added.
Well calculated protest: Protesters particularly targeted and damaged 3-4 CCTV cameras, to prevent from being identified
Many of the violent mob were either kids aged below 10 years or teenagers aged up to 15-16 years.
A large number of those who indulged in violence covered their faces with wet cloths possibly to deal with the impact of tear gas shells
