A Bhartiya Janata Party worker, Anil Singh, who was earlier booked for communal clashes in Aurangabad district, has escaped from police custody when he was taken to the local court.
Meanwhile, fresh round of violence between two communities took place on Friday in Nawada district, represented by BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh in parliament.
Anil Singh, associated with an organisation called Hindu Sewa Samiti , has been organising Ram Navmi processions in Aurangabad for a long time. He joined the BJP in 2007.
On March 25 and 26, he along with several others were booked in a case for communal clashes between two communities in Aurangabad during Ram Navami procession.
“Singh managed to dodge policemen and escaped when he was taken to a local court for production in a case registered against him”, said a local police official of Aurangabad, preferring anonymity. “We’re looking into how he managed to flee. Action will be taken against the negligent policemen too”, said Aurangabad Superintendent of Police, Satya Prakash.
On March 25, communal clashes between two communities had taken place when the Ram Navami procession was passing through the local Jama Masjid in Aurangabad town. More than 60 people were injured and 50 shops were gutted in the fire. Following the communal clashes, a prohibitory order was issued in the town.
Later, over 100 people were arrested to maintain law and order situation in the district.
Idol vandalised
Meanwhile, a clash between people from two communities took place in Nawada district on Friday morning. The clash broke out after a religious idol was allegedly vandalised in the area.
“It was a matter of an idol being vandalised by some miscreants, which led to the communities coming face to face. The situation is now under control,” said district authorities.
However, locals told The Hindu that police opened fire to control the violent crowd in the area.
For the last two weeks, violent incidents have been reported from different districts of the State and over hundred people, including local BJP workers, were arrested and detained in Bhagalpur, Samastipur, Aurangabad, Munger, Kaimur, Jamui, Sheikhpura, Nawada and Nalanda districts.
Earlier, two local BJP workers, Dinesh Kumar Jha and Mohan Patwa, were detained in Samastipur on the basis of a video of the incident.
Some policemen too were injured in the clashes there.
On Thursday, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav, after reaching Delhi for treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), had charged that the BJP has fostered violence in Bihar.
“There are riots and violence everywhere in Bihar these days...after sending me to jail, BJP has set the whole of Bihar on fire and Nitish Kumar is sitting dumb, he is finished now,” alleged Yadav.
However, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav earlier questioned the ruling NDA government in Bihar on how Arijit Shashwat, son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Choubey, has been roaming free despite an arrest warrant against his name for the communal clashes that took place in Nathnagar area of Bhagapur on March 17.
Mr. Shashwat is said to have approached Patna High Court for anticipatory bail in the case.
