Two separate cases emerged in the city with Diwali festivities taking an ugly turn as clashes broke out in North Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila and North-East Delhi’s Trilokpuri over firecrackers, leaving several persons, including a police constable, injured.
In the first incident, two groups of people belonging to Valmiki and Saansi Samaj communities clashed in the Majnu Ka Tila area. According to police, the clash, which erupted at around 10.55 pm on Thursday night over the bursting of firecrackers, left several persons injured and also saw some vehicles being damaged.
Police had to resort to the use of force and also fired teargas shells to bring the situation under control with a constable — identified as Sonu — sustaining injuries during the action. The situation remained tense even after midnight and, on Friday morning too, there was heavy deployment of law and order personnel in the area. Police said that eight people have been detained in this regard.
“The fight suddenly broke out when some people were bursting firecrackers in an area inhabited by people belonging to a different community. The fight turned ugly with the irate
persons pelting stones at each other. They also damaged some buses and cars,” said a police
official. locals claimed it was some men playing cards who started the skirmish. Police said that a case under different
sections of IPC, including rioting, has been registered.
“A case under section 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief causing damage), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) was registered at Civil lines police station,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.
In the second incident, Hindus and Muslims clashed in the Trilokpuri area of North-East Delhi. Police said that an altercation between two groups turned violent as people resorted to stone pelting. Nobody, however, was hurt in the incident, police said, adding that a case of rioting has been registered in connection with the clash with some people having been booked in the matter.