Ranchi, Aug. 27: Giridih police have arrested 22 persons for inciting violence during Ganesh idol immersion procession at Pachamba under Town thana, 200km from Ranchi, which left at least two youths with bullet injuries.
The arrests were made in the intervening night between Saturday midnight and this morning during which the police conducted raids and flag march in Pachamba to bring the situation under control.
An FIR was lodged against 39 named accused and over 300 unnamed under various IPC sections, including rioting and deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, besides Sections 3 and 4 of Explosive Substance Act.
Details coming from Giridih police are still sketchy. SDPO Manish Toppo said the flare-up started at 8.30pm yesterday when two Ganesh processions coming from opposite directions crossed Pachamba. As police asked one procession to wait to make way for the other, some people apparently hurled stones at the standing rally and beat up its members with sticks.
The situation soon escalated to gunfire and bombings, but the police are not stating who was responsible.
Two persons - Md Parwez and Amar Kumar - suffered bullet injuries on their waist and leg, respectively.
The mayhem went on for around 30 minutes till Giridih SP Akhilesh B. Verior and DC Umashankar Singh reached the spot with additional forces. It took police around three hours to control the situation.
Five used cartridges, a live cartridge and a bomb were recovered from the spot.
The injured Amar has been admitted to Giridih Sadar Hospital. Parwez was sent to RIMS today.