Shops remain closed in Hathikhana area in old city area a day after communal clashes were reported in Vadodara on Saturday. (Express Photo By Bhupendra Rana) Shops remain closed in Hathikhana area in old city area a day after communal clashes were reported in Vadodara on Saturday. (Express Photo By Bhupendra Rana)

Uneasy calm prevailed over a large part of the old city area in Vadodara on Saturday after two consecutive days of communal clashes, with the government suspending mobile data, bulk SMSes as well as wireless Internet service except broadband service across the city as a preventive measure to stop the spread of rumours after consultation with city police.

The police attributed the two days of communal tensions to images and messages being spread on SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook.

“On Thursday and Friday, rumours were spread across the city with the use of mobile applications and SMSes which created panic and communal tension in sensitive areas, leading to clashes. Even though nothing major had happened, the entire city was under the impression that something major had taken place. The state home ministry took the decision to suspend SMSes and mobile internet service to prevent the spread of rumours,” police commissioner E Radhakrishnan said.

A notification issued by the police commissioner stated that all 2G, 3G Internet services (except landline broadband), and group SMSes and MMSes on mobile phones have been suspended till 10 am on September 30, and action will be taken on Internet and mobile service providing companies that violate this under section 188 of the IPC.

The mobile data services and SMSes of all telecommunications service providers were suspended by late morning. Officials said that the services will remain suspended till September 30, provided the normalcy returns, especially in old city areas that witnessed several communal clashes, including stone-pelting and burning of materials looted from the shops. Dozens of two-wheelers were also set on fire.

The clashes on Thursday were linked to photoshopped images of Hindu Goddess Maa Ambe and Lord Ram superimposed on the Muslim holy land of Mecca, which were spread across the city through WhatsApp. Police later arrested a youth, Sunil Raut, in this connection, following complaints from Muslim groups that alleged that the images hurt religious sentiments.

On Friday, gory images of persons belonging to a particular community being hacked to death were seen doing the rounds on social networking sites, with mobile phones playing a major role in their spread. This led to another flare-up in communal clashes.

Police carried out combing operations throughout Friday night and Saturday, but no arrests were made in connection with the riots on Friday. They said eight persons were arrested in connection with riots that broke out on Thursday.

Additional chief secretary (home) S K Nanda, during his visit to Vadodara on Friday, said that while no major incident had taken place, the police were taking every precautionary measure to bring back normalcy.

“To avoid any more incident, those responsible will be held. We have increased the number of security forces and have also deployed police officials who have the experience of dealing with the situation in old city areas,” he said.

At least four police inspectors were put on special deputation to handle law and order situation in the city. These senior officials have the experience of handling communal clashes in the areas where they broke out in the past two days. All 17 police stations in the city continued to remain on alert even as six teams of State Reserve Police (SRP) and one of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were kept on stand by.

Markets in Haathikhana area that had witnessed clashes on Friday remained shut. Only a handful of shops were open in the two-kilometre stretch between Bhandwada and Champaner Darwaza in the old city areas.

Despite communal clashes in the old city areas, however, garba venues remained opened, though one at Ranawas near the Fatehpura locality ran into trouble after some revellers complained of anti-social elements flashing swords loitering around in the surrounding areas and called up police. A police team rushed to the spot to give them protection. Garba venues in other areas, such as Koili Falia, Gopaldas Gali, Chhipawad, Mehta Pol and Rangmoli Pol, remained opened.

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