A two-member team of National Commission for Minorities (NCM), a body of Ministry of Minority Affairs, on Thursday started investigation into the communal flare-up at Mango on July 20.
The team comprising Praveen Davar and Ajaib Singh visited Daiguttu in Mango where two groups clashed on July 20 and took statements of members of minority community who were present at the site on July 20 and also during the communal violence during the VHP-sponsored bandh on July 21.
The members also visited Dimna Road in Mango which witnessed protests and looting of shops owned by minorities on July 21 by bandh supporters.
The team members also took statements of victims of the violence (those whose shops were looted or damaged) and later held meeting with the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal, Dhalbhum sub divisional magistrate Alok Kumar and East Singhbhum SSP Anoop T Mathew at the Circuit House in the afternoon.
Notably, the trouble took place between the two communities in Mango on the night of July 20 when three bike-borne youths shot in the air at Mango’s Gandhi Maidan where a fair, part of Eid celebration, was on, allegedly tried to molest two girls near the Payal Cinema and then flashed firearms before residents of Daiguttu locality nearby. All educational institutions had also remained closed on July 22, 23 and 24 on the direction of the District Commissioner following communal tension after two communities clashed and subsequent imposition of prohibition orders in Jamshedpur.
Talking to the newsmen, Praveen Davar said that the commission took cognizance of the communal violence on the basis of media reports.
“No complain was lodged with us on the incident. The commission has taken suo motto cognizance of the incident on the basis of media reports. We will be submitting our report to the commission within a week and the commission would then give recommendations and suggestions to the State Government and the district administration as soon as possible,” said Davar.
When questioned about the reason for the violence, the commission members refused to divulge about their findings but admitted that they had been kept in dark about communal incidents in other parts of the city.
“So far we were told that communal violence was limited to Mango. later on during interaction with scribes we got to know that stray incidents of arson also happened in other parts of the city. We have also come to know that two criminal groups had clashed on July 19 and police had lodged FIR against them but still they are free,” said Ajaib Singh hinting at the administrative lapses in the incidents.
The commission members also directed the district administration to ensure that those affected in the violence must be given compensation at the earliest.
The commission members said that administration has informed them that 22 arresting have happened in the city on the basis of 11 FIR lodged in different police stations and the number of arrested persons is equal amongst two communities.
Recently, on the directive of additional secretary state home department, N N Pandey, the Kolhan commissioner Arun and Kolhan DIG R. K Dhan convened meeting with East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal and SSP Anoop T. Mathew to probe into communal clashes in Jamshedpur on July 20.