On October 19, Chhattisgarh Police arrested Durgesh Devangan and Prahlad Sahu in a Kawardha violence case from Mana, district Raipur. They have been brought to Kawardha. Mohit Garg, Superintendent of Police, Kawardha, said that Devangan and Sahu were involved in the violence that took place in the district between October 3 and October 5.
Reportedly, the violence between two groups was ignited after a Muslim mob allegedly uprooted the Saffron flag and tore it apart. The flag was hoisted by a Hindu group in the area. Soon after the mob uprooted the flag, the situation got violent, and two groups clashed with each other.
Several teams were formed to find the duo
SP Garg further said that several teams of Kabirdham police station were engaged in searching for the accused. Several raids were conducted based on the information collected from the informants and technical evidence. The Police learnt about their presence in Raipur and conducted searches at different locations in the district. They were later arrested from Shehnai Market Hall Sadani Darbar that comes under Sejbahar Police Station, Raipur.
The Kawardha Violence
On October 3, a Muslim mob uprooted a Saffron flag and tore it apart. It led to stone-pelting and clashes between the two groups. The incident occurred at Maa Karma Chowk. Section 144 of CrPc (Criminal Code Procedure) was imposed later to bring the situation under control. Ajay Thakur, Shoyab Adri, and Durgesh Devangan from the two groups had sustained injuries.
On October 5, the Hindu groups reinstalled the Saffron flag at the same spot where the Muslim mob had ripped it off. They also protested against the Congress government. Hindu groups claimed that the Muslim mob had attacked them, but the Police, instead of cracking down on the perpetrators of violence, chose to thrash them instead. Based on the video evidence, Police had registered case against 59 people.
As per reports, Durgesh was one of the very first people who had objected to the removal of the Saffron flag. He was also attacked by a mob of Muslims during the violence. It is notable here that there were some allegations that local MLA and Chhattisgarh minister Md Akbar has been ‘protecting’ some particular people involved in the violence.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad had taken a rally demanding action against the people who indulged in violence on October 5. The local police administration had blamed VHP for spreading disharmony.
