Mobile internet services were suspended in some areas in Jaipur on Tuesday morning to “prevent the spread of rumours” after two groups clashed over an attack on a bus ferrying pilgrims, police said.
The district administration snapped phone internet services in 10 police stations, including Galta Gate and Ramganj, known to be communally sensitive areas in the capital city of Rajasthan.
A police officer said the situation turned tense in Ramganj and nearby areas after a minor scuffle broke out between two communities on Sunday. It escalated on Monday evening after people gathered at places like Ramganj and Khole Ke Hanuman Ji Chauraha.
Jaipur commissioner of police Anand Shrivastava said some people hurled stones on a bus carrying Kanwariyas on its way to Haridwar on Delhi Road at around 10pm on Monday. More than a dozen buses were damaged in the incident as people shouted slogans leading to an argument.
“We are yet to find the reason behind the pelting of stones,” Shrivastava said.
Police used tear gas and force to control the situation and disperse the crowd. At least 20 people and seven policemen were injured in the stone-pelting and subsequent clashes on Monday night.
Officials said heavy police force has been deployed in Ramganj, Transport Nagar and Galta Gate areas on Tuesday.
Kanwar yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, who march to Haridwar, Gaumukh, Gangotri and Sultanganj to fetch ‘holy water’ from the Ganga, and then walk with the water in pots, called ‘kanwars’.
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