The violence came a day after a slipper was allegedly thrown at a Ram Navami procession in the town. (Representational photo) The violence came a day after a slipper was allegedly thrown at a Ram Navami procession in the town. (Representational photo)

Eleven people, including a state-level BJP leader, have been arrested so far after police in Bihar’s Samastipur district filed cases against 54 people for allegedly inciting communal violence by attacking a mosque in Rosera town on Tuesday.

The violence came a day after a slipper was allegedly thrown at a Ram Navami procession in the town.

Samastipur Superintendent of Police Deepak Ranjan said, “We studied video footage to identify the offenders. Mohan Patwa and others have been arrested on the basis of evidence.”

Patwa is general secretary of the BJP state weavers’ cell.

On Saturday, prohibitory orders continued to remain in place. Internet services also remained discontinued.

The first incident took place on Monday, when a Ram Navami procession was crossing Gudari Bazar Jama Masjid and a a slipper fell — or was thrown at — from allegedly a Muslim household. The agitated people in the procession sought immediate arrest of the offenders but the police intervened and the matter appeared to have been sorted out.

With several WhatsApp messages circulating, some of them about “reaching Rosera”, crowd started building up near the mosque since Tuesday morning. Angry that no arrest had been made for the incident of slipper landing on a Ram Navami procession, some people reportedly claimed that the accused was hiding in the mosque. At this, several people went on top of the mosque and put a Ram Navami flag, and a Tricolour next to it.

Some people in the crowd then started throwing stones at Muslim households. The mob was dispersed after additional police personnel arrived and used teargas. About a dozen people, including an additional SP, suffered injuries in stone-pelting.

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