Section 144 has been re-imposed in the riot-hit Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh as a preventive measure.
No rallies, processions, Jagarans, shobha yatras, or political demonstrations will be allowed in the district till July 10, according to a notification issued jointly by the district administration and the police on Wednesday.
It came a week after the administration removed the curfew in the riot-plagued region, claiming that things had back to normal. Section 144 was last invoked on April 11, a day after communal violence erupted in the district during the Navratri festival.
Restrictions were reinstated a day after a group of Muslim women staged a rally accusing police of harassing women and arresting people without appropriate evidence. A group of Muslim ladies protested at the SP office on Tuesday, alleging that police had arrested youngsters and senior persons.
“Police are storming Muslim homes and detaining men and children. They are also harassing ladies. We are in a terrifying scenario “a Muslim woman told journalists
While Muslim women have accused police of harassing them in the pretext of arrests and searches, ASP-Khargone, Neeraj Chaurasia, has promised appropriate action. Chauaria further stated that the administration is currently working to restore peace in Khargone, which was recently the scene of sectarian clashes.
Notably, 182 people have been arrested in 72 cases related to the violence thus far. SP Siddharth Choudhary, who was shot in the leg, was among the injured. For the firing incident, police detained a man named Mohsin aka Waseem.
On the festival of Ram Navami on April 10, communal conflicts erupted in Khargone, resulting in violence, including arson and stone-pelting. A curfew was quickly imposed.
(with inputs from IANS)