Fresh tension erupted in Delhi's Jahangirpuri today (Monday) as the police, looking for a missing accused man, tried to question his relative. Stones were thrown at the police team, two days after clashes during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday.
Sonu Chikna has been missing since the clashes, though his brother Salim Chikna has been arrested. When a police team arrived at Sonu Chikna's home, his family and neighbours threw stones at the team.As the violence threatened to escalate, personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) formed a human wall to prevent any clashes.
On Saturday, the clash broke out between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession. Both sides have accused the other of initiating the violence.
Earlier, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had said that a search is on for all the accused. "23 people have been arrested ". They are from both communities. Action will be taken against any person found guilty irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion," Mr Asthana told reporters.
"Some people are trying to disturb peace through the medium of social media. We are monitoring social media closely, and legal action will be taken against those who are found spreading misinformation. The public should not pay heed to rumours," Mr Asthana added.
Many people seen participating in the clashes have been missing. Eight were caught today. The police had earlier said three home-grown pistols and five swords have been seized from the arrested men.
Muslims in the area have claimed that those who were in the Hanuman Jayanti procession carried weapons and tried to vandalise a mosque.
Participants in the procession admitted that they carried arms but blamed the violence on the Muslims, who, they said, threw stones at them.
Last week, communal clashes broke out in four states - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal - during the celebrations of Ram Navami, the festival which marks the birth of Lord Ram.
