Internet services suspended after tension grips Bihar’s Nawada after desecration of Durga idol.

Communal tension grips Bihar Nawada after Muslims broke Durga idol. Internet services suspended.

The Sashastra Seema Bal and anti-riot Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed in the trouble-torn Akbarpur and Warisaliganj police station areas of Nawada district.

Somraj Prahari | HENB | Patna | Sep 28, 2017::  The Bihar state government on Thursday suspended internet services in Nawada to prevent spread of any inflammatory message on social media after communal tension between Hindus and Muslims gripped some areas in the south Bihar district.

Tension gripped Akbarpur police station area of Nawada district, 116 km south of Patna, when an idol of Goddess Durga was damaged in stone pelting by a group of anti-social Jihadi elements on Wednesday night.

Police said the incident took place around 9pm when some Hindu people were taking the idol to a pandal at Baliya-Bujurg village. As soon as they reached near the New York building at Akbarpur, a group of Muslim people started stone pelting  at them, objecting to the loud music being played on the public address system fitted to the cart carrying the idol, the police said. The Music was echoing, ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Me rahna hoga to Vandematarm khana hoga’. These were objected by the Muslims of the locality.

In the ensuing clash, the idol of Goddess Durga was grossly damaged, the police said.

On getting information, Nawada district magistrate Kaushal Kumar and superintendent of police Bikas Burman reached the spot with reinforcement and pacified the quarreling mob.

The idol had since been repaired and kept at the Akbarpur block office, the police said, adding that the officials were trying to send the idol to Baliya, but the villagers there had refused to worship “a desecrated idol”.

In another incident, unidentified persons set on fire a Tazia (a replica of the tomb of Husain, the martyred son of Prophet Muhammad, which is carried in processions during Muharram) in Warsaliganj police station area.

Police have lodged separate cases for provoking communal violence and hurting religious sentiments under relevant sections of the Indian penal code.

Patna central range deputy inspector general (DIG) Rajesh Kumar is camping at Nawada since Wednesday night, while personnel of Sashastra Seema Bal and anti-riot Rapid Action Force have been deployed in the trouble-torn Akbarpur and Warisaliganj police station areas of the district.

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__Agencies. Pics taken from Facebook sources.