GAJWEL: Three persons were arrested after Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s Assembly constituency headquarters Gajwel town witnessed clashes between two groups over the last 24 hours. It all started on Monday night after a youth hailing from Sangapur of Gajwel mandal allegedly urinated near a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji on the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in Gajwel.
A group of people rushed to the spot, allegedly thrashed the youth, made him clean the place and allegedly drink the water. The youth, who was in an inebriated condition, was reportedly paraded semi-naked before being handed over to the police.
Another group supporting the youth reached the place and launched an attack. As a result, one person sustained a head injury. The clashes between the two groups created tension in the town. Demanding that the attackers be arrested, another group of people staged a dharna and blocked traffic till Monday late at night. Siddipet police commissioner N. Swetha reached Gajwel and tried to pacify the protesters.
A bandh was observed in Gajwel on Tuesday and shops, educational institutions remained closed. A protest rally was also taken out. But, when it reached a place of worship, some people pelted stones. This led to more tension in the town. On the other hand, children took out a rally in support of the bandh, which went viral on social media.
Additional police forces were deployed in Gajwel to bring the situation under control. Rajanna Sircilla zone DIG K. Ramesh Naidu and CP N. Swetha reviewed the law and order situation. Two additional DCPs, 10 ACP, DSPs, 25 inspectors, 52 sub-inspectors, and 411 police constables were deployed in Gajwel to avert any untoward situation.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Siddipet commissioner Swetha said that the situation was under control. "We have arrested three persons from Sangapur village and sent them to judicial remand.
We are searching for others," she said. She asked people not to believe in rumours on social media. "We will deal strictly with the persons who are trying to disrupt the communal harmony in Gajwel. Anyone or any group trying to hurt the sentiments of others will face police cases," she warned.
