High-decibel music during a Durga Puja immersion procession, stone pelting by a group that objected, a rumour and a bike rally defying police restrictions – this was the cocktail that put Odisha’s otherwise peaceful Cuttack on edge. As the 36-hour curfew imposed following Sunday’s violence and arson was relaxed by the administration at 10 am on Tuesday, 70-year-old Seikh Jawar, who ran a stationery shop near the Gaurishankar Park, found his establishment reduced to ashes. “What was my fault, and who will compensate me for this loss?” asked Jawar. Imtiaz, 42, who has an eatery in Darga Bazar, said his cart was burnt down. “Durga Puja has a 400-year history here. When we had no issue earlier, why would we object now? Vested interests are spreading rumours to incite hate and indulge in violence and arson,” he said. Around 40 shops in the market were torched on Sunday when right-wing groups took out a motorcycle rally in the minority-dominated Dargha Bazar area, despite the police denying permission over fears of communal tension. The bike rally had come as a show of strength ahead of Monday’s Cuttack bandh called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, in protest against the violence that broke out during the idol immersion procession in the early hours of Saturday. The first confrontation Police say they are verifying the circumstances that led to the violence during the immersion. According to senior officers, when the procession was passing through the Hathi Pokhari near Dargha Bazar around 1:30 am on Saturday, some locals objected to the loud music, following which there was an argument and religious slogans were raised. “Violence broke out within minutes when stones and glass bottles were hurled at the procession, leaving some people injured. Cuttack Deputy Police Commissioner Rishikesh Khilari suffered injuries near his eye,” said a senior officer. Police resorted to lathi charge and used force to bring the situation under control, but participants of the procession staged a dharna, demanding the immediate arrest of the attackers. The immersion procession was halted for hours. Based on CCTV and drone footage, the police arrested six persons. The flare-up To avoid things from escalating, police barricaded the area and deployed additional forces in Dargha Bazar. By the time the Odisha government decided to suspend internet services, it was too late – a rumour had started circulating on social media about the death of an individual from the procession. “During the clash, four individuals sustained injuries. Three have been discharged, and the fourth person remains under medical care and is stable. No fatalities have occurred in connection with this incident. False narratives are being spread to incite hate, fear and disrupt harmony among communities,” the Commissionerate Police clarified on X. Condemning the clash during the immersion, the VHP called for a Cuttack bandh on October 6 and demanded the transfer of the Cuttack DCP and District Collector for their “failure to prevent stone pelting” during the procession. Violence flared on Sunday when members of various right-wing outfits took out the bike rally, holding flags and chanting slogans. “An organisation sought permission to take out a bike rally, which was denied. They clashed with police and eight personnel were injured in stone pelting,” Police Commissioner S Dev Dutta Singh said on Sunday. Police had to use force and fire teargas shells to disperse the mob, following which the state announced a 36-hour curfew. Nine people have been arrested for their alleged role in Sunday’s violence. Senior officers said the same crowd also indulged in arson. BJP MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab said some “habitual offenders” had indulged in stone pelting during the immersion. He also blamed “outsiders”, saying they were brought to Cuttack to create “hooliganism”. The police commissioner said deployment in the city would continue for a few more days, considering the upcoming Kali Puja.
