The Union Home Ministry has decided to send additional paramilitary forces to Bihar to help the Nitish Kumar government ensure law and order in the state, where clashes between two groups erupted over the last week. The extra forces are being sent following a request from the Bihar government.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who arrived in Patna on Saturday on a pre-planned visit, took stock of the situation and spoke to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in this regard.
The minister will also address a rally in the Hisua area in Bihar's Nawada district on Sunday. He will leave for Nawada in the afternoon, before which he is expected to chair a meeting with senior state BJP leaders.
"The programme in Nawada stands. The district is peaceful and unaffected by disturbances elsewhere," BJP MLA Jibesh Kumar Mishra, who is camping in Nawada, told PTI over the phone.
Shah had earlier cancelled his scheduled visit to Sashastra Seema Bal's Patna Frontier due to "unavoidable reasons". The Union Home Minister was also scheduled to take part in a function in Sasaram town of Rohtas district, which has been put off because of communal violence.
Situation normal
Amid reports of fresh clashes in the districts of Rohtas and Nalanda, the Bihar Police said on Sunday that the situation in the state was completely normal.
According to Nalanda Superintendent of Police Ashok Mishra, the situation in the district was normal. He also urged locals to maintain peace and not to be swayed by rumours or misleading reports. "The situation in Nalanda's Bihar Sharif is completely normal. We would like to urge the general public not to believe in rumours. Stringent action will be taken against those spreading rumours," stated Bihar Police in a tweet.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 are in force in Nalanda since violence between two groups erupted over Ram Navami celebrations. One person was killed and several others injured after clashes last evening in Bihar Sharif.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials also rubbished rumours of people fleeing Sasaram, a town in Rohtas where clashes erupted between two groups over Ram Navami celebrations over the last week.
The Rohtas police also reacted to rumours that people were fleeing Sasaram due to fear. Calling the rumours "totally baseless and absurd rumour," the police said no one has left his/her locality. They also appealed to the general public not to pay attention to any such rumours. "The situation is peaceful and normal in Sasaram," Rohtas Police said on Twitter.
This came as six people were injured in a bomb blast in Sasaram. But, the Bihar police said the bomb blast was not a communal incident.
Officials said the injured people have been taken to a hospital, and a forensic team was rushed to the spot. Two have been arrested in this connection. The Rohtas police added that the injured were handling illegal explosives at a private property in Rohtas.
"There was a bomb blast in Sasaram. Injured people were referred to BHU hospital. We're investigating all the angles right now. The cause of the blast is still not known," Sasaram DM Dharmendra Kumar said.
The Bihar Police said that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team reached the spot to investigate the matter. "The blast was reported at a shanty and a scooty has been recovered from the area. Prima facie it does not appear to be a communal incident," the police said.
