Home Minister Amit Shah Enquires About Bhainsa Clash

A shocking incident of violence rocked Nirmal district's Bhainsa, in Telangana, yesterday. Reports say that a violent scuffle broke out between two groups of people in the area following a heated altercation between a biker and another individual.

The incident took place outside the town's Zulfiqar mosque.

Nearly fifty people from each group assembled near the mosque, and things then quickly took on a communal colour. The two groups began to pelt stones at each other.

Several instances of arson were also reported - two houses and some vehicles were set ablaze. Some paan shops and other small establishments were also left damaged.

At least ten persons, including three policemen and a journalist, were left injured in the confrontation.

The Telangana Police have imposed a curfew under Section 144 in Bhainsa today. Nearly 100 people have reportedly been taken into custody for questioning. The police are also examining the relevant CCTV footage to get more clarity on the late-night clash.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy today condemned the attack, and published a tweet on his official Twitter handle saying, "Strongly condemn the violence in Bhainsa yesterday. Attack on media personnel is disturbing & unfortunate. Spoke to @TelanganaDGP, asked him to arrest the culprits at the earliest & deploy additional forces. Also spoke to Adilabad MP Sri @SoyamBapuRaoOfc on the issue. (sic)"

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Reddy over the phone and enquired about the clash, and asked to be apprised about the current situation in the town.

In response, Reddy published another post on Twitter that read, "Hon'ble Home Minister Sri @AmitShah Ji called me to enquire about the Bhainsa (Telangana) incident & the prevailing situation. Spoke to @TelanganaDGP yet again, during which he apprised me & assured that the situation is now under control & that the offenders will be nabbed soon.

Other leaders in the state also had much to say about the incident.

BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri took to Twitter to condemn the violence, and said, "The ruling Municipal MIM dispensation in Bhainsa is behind these communal clashes. They want to drive away Hindus from Bhainsa. The TRS regime is acting like a puppet and a mute spectator to such horrific incidents. (sic)"

He lashed out at the local law enforcement agencies as well and told them that the riots could have been prevented if "the goons" involved in earlier riots in the area had been put behind bars.

IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao, on the other hand, made an appeal to the people of the town not to "fall prey to rumours and hate-mongering spearheaded by divisive forces", and promised them that the TRS government would "maintain law and order effectively".

Bhainsa, a small town in Nirmal district, has a history of being a communally volatile area. Just last year, two similar cases of communal tension occurred in the town - one in January and the other in May - in which at least 30 people sustained injuries.