Violence erupted in Chomu town of Jaipur in the early hours of Friday over the removal of structures outside a mosque, leading to police firing tear gas shells to disperse a stone-pelting crowd and leaving several personnel injured.
According to officials, the incident occurred around 3 am near the Kalandri Mosque. A police team was present to remove some stones and iron angles that had been placed outside the mosque—an act they stated was undertaken after obtaining consent from locals regarding a long-standing encroachment dispute.
However, the operation took a violent turn when a crowd gathered and began pelting stones at the police team. The force responded by firing tear gas shells to control the situation.
"The situation, however, has been brought under control," a police statement confirmed.
Senior police officials, who visited the affected area, explained that the dispute was related to an attempt to re-establish an encroachment that had been voluntarily removed earlier.
"There is a Kalandari Mosque here where a dispute over encroachment had been ongoing for quite some time. One party voluntarily removed the encroachment, but some people tried to re-establish it permanently by installing iron angles," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hanuman Prasad Meena told ANI.
"We were removing these structures when some people pelted stones at the police. We will take strict action against all those involved. Currently, there is peace in the area," he added.
Additional Police Commissioner Dr. Rajiv Pachar and Additional DCP Rajesh Gupta also visited the site, urging calm and assuring legal action against the perpetrators of violence.
In the aftermath of the clashes, authorities have implemented stringent measures to prevent any escalation. Additional police forces have been deployed in the town.
As a precaution, mobile internet and SMS services have been temporarily suspended in the area for 24 hours, until 7 am on Saturday, December 27. This move is aimed at preventing the spread of rumours and misinformation that could incite further unrest.
Shops in the vicinity remained closed throughout Friday following the early morning disturbances, reflecting the tense atmosphere.
Special Police Commissioner Rahul Prakash confirmed that investigative actions are in progress. "We have detained about half a dozen people for questioning. Internet services have been suspended. Sufficient force has been deployed to maintain peace," he stated.
While normalcy has reportedly returned to the area, the incident has highlighted the sensitivity surrounding encroachment issues. The police administration maintains a vigilant presence to ensure peace prevails in Chomu.
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