With the Ramnavami festival around, security has been tightened across the State particularly after Tuesday night tension in Khunti.
The festival is scheduled to be celebrated in Jharkhand on Sunday amid tight security arrangement, said the police. On Tuesday evening, tension prevailed in Khunti town-40 km from Ranchi, after stone pelting incidents between two groups. After Tuesday's incident, security was tightened in the district with deployment of additional security forces in the area. Ranchi Zone IG, Pankaj Kamboj said that in view of the situation, additional security personnel have been deployed in the city after stone pelting on a religious procession in Khunti on Tuesday evening.
He said that the police have identified some anti-social elements from both the groups and cases will also be registered against them. However, the IG said that the situation is under control and peaceful. He also said that a meeting will be held with the peace committee to maintain the peaceful situation in the city.
Sources said that stones were pelted again near Bhatti Road and Shivaji Chowk in the city on Wednesday morning after people of a particular community pelted stones at a religious procession in Khunti on Tuesday. During this, the movement of people was disrupted for about an hour at Shivaji Chowk. Sources said that the Wednesday tension erupted after a particular group protesting against last night's stone pelting incident were getting the shops of the city to be closed. Another group protesting against the forceful closure of shops started pelting stones.
District Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Shekhar, SP operation Ramesh Kumar, Sub-Divisional Officer Syed Riaz Ahmed, Headquarters DSP, SDPO, Circle Officer Madhushree Mishra, Executive Officer of Nagar Panchayat Ravi Prakash, Khunti after receiving information about stone pelting at two places of the city on Wednesday morning reached the spot brining the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ranchi got tensed after a Ramnavmi procession altering its route reached Fatehullah Mosque on Tuesday. Although prompt action by police averted any untoward incident, a station in charge was suspended for the goof up.
In Hazaribag also people are looking forward to removal of some more restrictions including ban on DJ and extension of time for the procession.