On Sunday, Hindu kanwariya pilgrims returning after doing jal abhishek at a Shiv mandir in the Ramganj area of walled city in Jaipur were pelted with stones by a Muslim mob, injuring 5 Hindus.

The next day, which also happened to be the day of the Eid festival, a large mob from the Muslim community gathered around 10 PM on the Delhi highway near Idgah in Galta Gate police station area. They started shouting provocative slogans and pelted stones on passenger buses and other small vehicles running on the highway.

A bus travelling to Haridwar was stopped, people inside were abused and physically attacked. The mob also reached Mandi Khatikan and pelted stones on Hindu houses. Police rushed to control the situation, but they were also pelted with stones.

In total 17 people, including 2 policemen, were injured in the mob violence on Monday night. 15 vehicles were vandalised and one motorcycle torched. Police had to use teargas to control the situation. Internet services were snapped in at least 10 police station areas and heavy police force was deployed in many parts of the city.

Police has lodged a case against 60 people for the Monday night violence and arrested 5 of them – Rashid, Shaukat, Liaqat, Babudin, Liaqat (Bablu) – reports Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar.

English-language newspaper Times of India has stated that the trouble started when members of the ‘minority community’ blocked the highway, but blamed members of two communities for pelting stones at each other.

On Tuesday, an argument broke out between some Hindus standing outside a temple and some Muslims in Rawalji ka Bazar in Gangapol area of the walled city. Both sides started pelting stones on each other, but the situation was calming down when a huge mob came from Nalbandha area and started rioting. Many women and children visiting the market were trapped and some took shelter in a room near the temple. Many vehicles were damaged and 6 people were injured.

Police resorted to lathi charge and had to fire around 100 teargas shells to bring the situation under control. IPC Section-144 (prohibiting assembly of 5 or more people) was imposed in 15 police station areas of the city, bringing half of Jaipur under a curfew-like situation.

By Wednesday, the city was limping back to normal. As per reports, police in the Congress-ruled state had identified over 150 rioters though CCTV footage and other means, and arrested 40.

Indian Express carried a brief report on the violence today, in which it reported a ‘clash between two communities’ & masked the identity of the mob which blocked the Delhi highway on Monday night by stating that ‘Hundreds of people had blocked the Delhi highway road on Monday night earlier this week’.

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