The Vadodara city police diffused communal tension in Bhandwada area where two communities got into an altercation over alleged preparation of a non-vegetarian wedding feast near a place of worship on Sunday.
In the afternoon, the area witnessed tense moments as so-called youth leaders from two communities came face-to-face over the issue. Police brought the situation under control even as both parties reached the Kumbharwada police station to file complaints against each other.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, G Division, MP Bhojani said, “The local people had asked the family, who had organised the celebration, to shift the cooking pots to another location, which resulted in an altercation. Within minutes of receiving the call in the control room, police teams were dispatched to disperse the crowd. We have taken the complaints of both the parties and initiated a fair probe.”
According to police officials, members of the community that opposed the cooking have mentioned in their complaint that the “leaders” of the other group threatened them. Police said that following recent incidents of public stabbing due to rivalry, the complaints were being “considered seriously”. However, on Sunday evening, the two groups sought time to “reach a compromise” instead of proceeding with formal FIRs.
Bhojani told this newspaper, “The two groups have sought time to arrive at a compromise after submitting their written complaints at the police station. We have given them time to decide their further course of action before proceeding with the formal registration of the complaint… currently, there is no law and order problem in the area. No one was injured in the verbal altercation that ensued.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.
