Himachal Pradesh: Prohibitory orders in Paonta Sahib area after violence

Nahan: Prohibitory orders were imposed on Saturday in four villages in the Paonta Sahib area of Sirmaur district by the administration due to apprehensions of a communal flare-up after two groups clashed a day earlier over elopement of a Hindu-Muslim couple.

Local Hindu outfits have been protesting for over four days in Paonta Sahib town, claiming it to be a case of "love jihad". At least 10 people, including policemen, were injured in stone pelting in the violence on Friday.

Sirmaur's District Magistrate (DM) Priyanka Verma issued a directive imposing prohibitory orders in the four villages - Kiratpur, Malion, Fatehpur and Missarwala - in the Paonta Sahib area till June 19.

To maintain law and order in the area, the probability orders have been issued under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), it said.

The DM said she received a report late on Friday night from the district police chief of Sirmaur, Nishchint Singh Negi, which mentions- "that a law and order situation has arisen due to gathering of agitated persons in the Kiratpur area", adding there is an apprehension that the situation may "deteriorate into communal tension, thereby threatening public peace and tranquillity".

According to the prohibitory orders, there will be a complete ban on the assembly of five or more persons, carrying lethal weapons, holding any public rally, procession or hunger strike, carrying any kind of inflammable material, pelting stones or any objectionable material in the public places and delivering inflammatory speeches or communal or anti-state speeches within the boundaries of these four villages.

On Friday, family members of the 18-year-old woman claimed the couple allegedly ran away on June 4 at the 19-year-old man's bidding and lodged a complaint with the police. Protesters, which included members of local Hindu organisations, blocked the Nahan-Paonta Highway for about an hour at Majra, 25 km from Nahan, demanding strict action in the case.

In the evening, as soon as the crowd of protesters started moving towards the Muslim man's house, there was stone pelting from the other side, to which the protesters responded. Police used force to stop the stone pelting from the two sides. Over ten people, which included women and some cops, were injured in the incident, sources said.

Terming the elopement as another case of "love jihad", members of local Hindu outfits alleged that the police and administration are being lax in the matter and have not traced the woman.

"Love jihad" is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.

BJP state president Rajiv Bindal had said that the protest would intensify till the woman is found and action is taken against those who pelted stones at the members of the Hindu organisations.

A dharna by villagers in front of the police station on Saturday morning was announced.