The withdrawal of police forces drawn for bandobust in connection with the recently held Hanuman Jayanti could have enabled miscreants to trigger tension in these areas and violence, feel police officials even as they grapple to find out the reasons for communal violence in Madannapet and Saidabad areas on Sunday.
More than 4,000 additional forces in addition to the city police strength have been deployed for the Sri Veer Hanuman Shobha Yatra organised by Bajrang Dal on Friday. After the yatra passing off peacefully, police forces were withdrawn on Saturday morning. This could have helped perpetrators to desecrate a religious place at the communally sensitive Kurmmaguda area in Madannapet triggering tension, police officials observed.
Bandobust duty
Police forces usually continue bandobust duties for one more day even after completion of major festivals such as ‘Bonalu' and Ganesh festivities. But in case of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations, the police apparently underestimated the situation and had withdrawn the forces resulting in communal violence today. “The sequence of incidents indicate that the trouble was pre-meditated,” affirm police officials.
Incidentally, a few years ago, violence erupted at the same religious place for using public address system during the morning and evening hours while conducting rituals. Police personnel, however, managed to control the situation within a few hours. Continuation of a police picket at the desecrated religious place could have averted the clashes on Sunday, pointed out police officials.
In 2003 too, violence broke out when police forces were withdrawn from the old city after a Black Day observed on December 6 passed off peacefully. Then, the police opened fire at Gowlipura, Sultan Shahi and Moghalpura when teargas shells and lathi-charge proved ineffective in controlling the mob indulging in stabbing, loot and arson. Four persons died due to stabbing while one succumbed to bullet injuries. Taking advantage of the absence of police, trouble-mongers resorted to violence forcing authorities to impose indefinite curfew in eight police stations in old city, officials recalled.
