Dehradun district administration has clamped Section 144 of CrPC around the religious place in Miyawala where tension flared up over the construction of a pucca place of worship, belonging to a particular community. Heavy police forces have been deployed in the area to prevent any violent activities. District magistrate Ravinath Raman, SSP Pushpak Jyoti and others high ranking officials reached the spot and took stock of the situation on Friday.
The officials directed necessary instructions to the beat policemen to maintain peace and communal harmony in the area at any cost. SP Rural GC Dhyani, CO Arun Kumar Pandey and CO Pramod Kumar aside from some Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors have been encamping in the area since Thursday. A police officer said the situation in the area was under control now. Things flared up after a polythene sheet covering the under-construction place of the worship was found burnt on Wednesday night.
People from another community has been opposing the move to convert the make-shift structure of the particular place of worship into a concrete one, saying that it would breach peace in the area with people from outside swamping here to offer prayer. Things remaining volatile with temper running high, massive police forces, including PAC jawans, have been deployed.
Intelligence staff has also been put on high alert. They have been directed to be vigilant so as to stop anti-social elements from fomenting fresh trouble in the communally sensitive area. Police have intensified vigilance in neighbouring places like Chakrata, Vikasnagar, Sabhawala, Selaqui, Herbertpur, Kulhal, Dhamawala and Dakpathar by way of precautionary measure. Meanwhile, Doiwala Police have registered an FIR under appropriate Sections of IPC against some local persons. Those accused of inciting communal fissures would be arrested soon, assured the police officials. Two policemen being found negligent while on duty in the area have been reverted to police line.
CO Pramod Kumar said the residents had been advised to maintain peace and harmony in the area. Meanwhile, the local leaders of Communist Party of India have appealed the people to maintain peace and harmony in the area by remaining wary of the communal forces out to breach peace. Some of the locals alleged that the administration and police were now pro-active after the tension erupted. “They had been sleeping over the tension brewing for a long time. Had they intervened early things would not have come to such a sorry pass,” one of them said.