Patna, Sept. 11: The Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel today staged flag march in around half-a-dozen villages under Tariyani block in Sheohar district to instill a sense of security among the residents scared after a violent clash between members of two communities.
More than 10 persons were seriously injured in the clash at Hiramma village during a procession on Tuesday night. Eight persons have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. Additional police forces have been deployed in the villages, considered to be sensitive from the security point of view.
The state police headquarters has deployed two senior IPS officers — V. Narayanan, the additional director-general of police (modernisation), and S. Ravindran, the deputy inspector-general (human rights) — at Sheohar to monitor the situation. Inspector-general (Tirhut) Gupteshwar Pandey and deputy inspector-general (Tirhut) B.S. Meena are also camping at the district headquarters of Sheohar.
The trouble erupted when a group of people belonging to a particular community attacked the procession taken out by the members of another community near Hiramma village last Tuesday. The people taking part in the procession were attacked with lethal weapons from behind. At least 10 persons sustained serious injuries. They have been admitted to different government hospitals at Sheohar and Muzaffarpur.
The procession was scheduled to pass through the villages under Sheohar district and reach Areraj in East Champaran district to offer holy water of the river Bagmati to the Shiva temple there.
Sheohar superintendent of police P.K. Sinha said patrolling had been intensified and the people were asked not to get carried away by rumours.
“Instructions have been given to all the station house officers to deal sternly with troublemakers in their respective areas. Eight persons, including two persons named as accused in the FIR, have been arrested in connection with the clash,” Sinha told The Telegraph.
The SP described the situation as tense but under control. “The situation is limping back to normal,” he said, adding that the people from both the communities were co-operating with the district administration in restoring peace and normality in the area.
Sinha said additional armed forces had been deployed in the troubled areas as a precautionary measure.
A series of meetings of the peace committee was convened in the past few days. Members of both the communities and senior police officers participated in them. The peace meetings were convened at the block- and the police station-level.