During Protesting against NRC and CAA, thousands of people went berserk in Jabalpur on Friday and the police clamped curfew after the crowd pelted stones on cops and media persons and public property was vandalised.
Despite prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC promulgated in the district, thousands took to streets in the city in a particular area on Friday afternoon. As the protest turned violent, curfew was clamped under four police station areas by the evening.
The protests had erupted in areas including Adhartal, Hanumantal, Gohalpur and Kotwali police station area and in no time the protest turned violent with the protesters hurling stones on the police and media personnel as well. The unruly mob also damaged vehicles belonging to police and commoners.
The police said that the incident took place soon after the Friday prayers and the locals disbanded into small groups and disappeared in small lanes and tried forming procession.
As the police did not allow them to take out procession and stopped them through barricades, the protesters started hurling stones on police in various areas including Razzaq Chowk, Bahorabag, Raddi Chowki, Gohalpur and Char Khambha.
Media persons who were covering the story were also targeted by the mob at several places through stone pelting and the protesters also warned them against the covering the unrest. Several media persons were hit by stones.
To the surprise of everyone, the violent mob comprised small kids and teenager who assaulted police and damaged their vehicles. “Besides elders, the kids and teenagers from 7 to 15 years who might be unaware about the NRC and CAA provisions, pelted stone on policemen and damaged their vehicle but our armed force practiced restraint,” said Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Amit Singh told the media.
The cop added that presence of masked kids and teens in the crowd was a clear indication that they were instigated by certain elements. The officer claimed that their priority was to bring things under control so curfew has been imposed in four police station area.
The police lobbed tear gas shell to disperse the violent mob while over ten policemen were injured in the assault of the mob and some of them were rushed to hospital. The internet services were suspended in Jabalpur town while the same was done for a few hours in Bhopal, a senior officer from police headquarters said.