Jodhpur village tense after row over saffron flags; 10 held

Jodhpur: Tension erupted at a village in Jodhpur district on Saturday afternoon following disagreements between two groups of people over the installation of saffron flags in the village. Ten people were arrested, and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed at the site to maintain peace, said police.
ADCP (west) Chanchal Mishra said the situation is under control and that a close watch is being kept on the situation in the area.Soon after receiving information about a flare-up of communal nature, senior police officials rushed to the spot. The dispute arose when a group of youths from some Hindu organisations was installing saffron flags on roadside poles in the village on Saturday afternoon to mark the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “When the youths were installing the flags on a pole opposite the houses of some people belonging to a particular community, the latter opposed it and stopped them from carrying on the installation. This led to arguments between them, followed by the use of force between them,” said a police officer. The information of the incident spread around the village like wildfire, and a huge crowd of the villagers gathered at the spot in an hour amid shouting of slogans.tnn