Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday expressed dismay over attempts to create communal tension in the state.
Without naming the BJP, Kumar said: “No matter how much one tries to heighten tension by resorting to communal clashes, I have issued strict instructions to the DM and the SP of Bettiah, Nawada and Araria to handle the situation with an iron fist.” In the last 36 hours, communal clashes were reported in Nawada (south Bihar), Bettiah (north Bihar) and Araria (east Bihar). While one person died in Nawada, 30 people were injured in Bettiah and six in Araria.
Kumar’s angst stems from the fact that ever since the JD-U broke its alliance with the BJP, the former ally has been allegedly trying to create communal tension. “This is being purposefully done to polarise voters ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and bring a bad name to Bihar, which never witnessed a single communal clash till it ruled in the company of the BJP,” said JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.
The chief minister also urged people to maintain calm and peace and refrain from paying any heed to rumours. The appeal came after anti-social elements in Bettiah torched vehicles of DM Sridhar Chirobolu and SP Sunil Nayak while protesting against police firing. The police had fired in the air and lobbed tear gas shells following clashes between two groups during a procession near the Jora Inaar locality.
Earlier, in Nawada, a man identified as Kundan Kumar was killed in firing during a group clash. The matter was kept under the wraps by the Nawada police, fearing backlash. The ASI involved in the firing has been suspended and curfew clamped. In a similar incident, six people sustained injuries when two groups clashed in Araria, around 450 km from here. Though the situation is under control, Section 144 has been imposed as a precautionary measure.