Communal tension erupted in the lake city of Udaipur, Rajasthan after a class 10 student stabbed another at a government school on Friday. The mob vandalized the shopping mall and pelted stones. Cars parked in a garage were also set on fire. The police had to lathicharge to disperse the mob. Prohibitory orders banning the assembly of people were imposed in the city
The incident of stabbing took place in the Government Higher Secondary School Bhattiyani Chowhatta. The accused absconded after the incident, while the injured student was rushed to the Maharana Bhupal (MB) Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment. The condition of the student is said to be stable. It was not immediately known what led to the stabbing.
Both the students involved in the incident belong to different religions and as soon as the incident went viral, members of some Hindu outfits gathered at Madhuban in the city to protest over the stabbing.
As the tension escalated shops in Chetak Circle, Hathipole, Ashwini Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and Ghantaghar area of the city were shut down. Groups roamed around the markets and got the shop closed.
Despite several attempts by the administration to restore peace, stone pelting broke out between the two groups late in the evening.
District Collector Arvind Poswal said that the student has been taken into custody and his father has been arrested. Police have been deployed as a precautionary measure.
Udaipur ASP City Umesh Ojha said that police forces are deployed in almost all areas of the city. Additional forces have also been deployed from the police line. Prohibitory orders have been endorsed. All police officers are in the field and keeping an eye on every activity.
District Education Officer Lokesh Bharti said that both the students are around 15 years of age and study in the same class. The reason of the dispute is not known.
Notably, two years ago, the Udaipur Citybhad witnessed the beheading incident of tailor Kanhiya Lal by two radical Muslim men. The attackers captured the attack on camera and circulated the video online. Lal was killed for allegedly sharing a social media post supporting the then BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose comments led to the 2022 controversy.
