Communal clashes erupt after Eid prayers in India's Jodhpur, internet suspended

Tense clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India’s Rajasthan have prompted the authorities to suspend internet services in the Jodhpur district on Tuesday.

Tensions ran high on Monday night after Muslims reportedly installed flags commemorating Eid on a roundabout alongside the statue of Indian freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa in Jodhpur’s Jalori Gate, according to police.

This led to a confrontation as the Hindu community alleged that a saffron flag they had put up there ahead of Parshuram Jayanti, a Hindu festival coinciding with Eid, had gone missing, Indian media report.

The situation later escalated as fresh clashes broke out after the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers in the morning.

A few policemen were among the injured as the agitated groups threw stones at each other, The Indian Express reports. Police later fired tear gas and launched baton charges in order to bring the situation under control.

“There were flags of Lord Parashuram near the area where namaz is offered. There was a dispute about removing the flags as the local Muslim community puts up a flag on the occasion of Eid,” Additional Director General (Law and Order) Hawa Singh Ghumaria told the Indian Express.

The local police commissioner had intervened due to the possibility of a large Eid congregation near the area of the clash and didn’t let a crowd come near the place, according to him. “But while dispersing, tension escalated and there was stone-pelting.”

“The tension resulting from a clash between two groups in Jodhpur’s Jalori Gate is unfortunate. I have instructed the administration to maintain peace and order at any cost. Respecting the tradition of love and brotherhood in Jodhpur, Marwar, I appeal to all sides to help in maintaining peace and law and order,” Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted on Tuesday.