Communal flare-up in a Chhattisgarh village: 6 homes torched, cops injured during rescue operation

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Later that day, between 4 pm and 11.30 pm, dozens of villagers allegedly attacked six houses from the minority community.

10 of 100 families are from minority community

In the village, which has over 100 families, around 10 are from the minority community.

Police said communal tensions had flared there in 2024, too, when a religious symbol was allegedly desecrated. At the time, as tensions spiked, the 10-odd families had left their homes, but they returned later following a peace meeting.

On Sunday, police said, all three accused were nabbed by 6 pm. However, by 4 pm, a group had already vandalised the home of one of the accused and set it on fire.

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A team of 34 policemen, including Additional SP Dhirendra Patel, SDOP Nisha Sinha, and Rajim inspector Amrit Sahu, reached the spot. According to the police, while the mob comprised around 70 people, it soon grew as others armed with sticks, rods and petrol joined in. Within an hour, Superintendent of Police Vedvrat Sirmour also reached the spot.

‘They struck our heads’: Cops

A policeman, who was at the spot, said on condition of anonymity, “They hit us with sticks and struck our hands, back and head. They broke our helmets and pelted stones at our vehicles as well as those of the fire brigade. We did not lathicharge them as we were outnumbered and wanted to ensure no life was lost.”

What the police team did was shield the houses under attack and take around 20 people to safety in a bus. “Sometime later, we got a call that six or seven children were in a madrasa. We took them in a police van. The madrasa was not attacked, but a cooler outside it was vandalised, and a bike and homes adjacent to it were torched,” the policeman said.

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Mob set 6 houses, vehicles on fire before police pushback

Police received reinforcements by 8 pm, and then again at 9 pm, bringing their strength up to around 90. “The Rajim fair is going on, and a lot of security was deployed there. After receiving reinforcements, we pushed the mob back,” a police source said.

However, the mob managed to vandalise and set on fire six houses as well as a car and two motorcycles. Two men injured in the attack have been hospitalised.

“By 11.30 pm, the rioting was over, and policemen had removed their helmets. This is when a woman threw a brick, causing a head injury to one of the police personnel, who was also admitted to a hospital. We have booked her for attempt to murder,” said an officer

On Monday evening, over 150 policemen were deployed in the village.

An FIR has been registered for attempt to murder, rioting, and arson against several unnamed people. No arrests has been made so far.