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| A group staged a protest outside the police station for not arresting the politico |
Telecommunication minister Kapil Sibal's instruction to social networking sites to filter web content and the Delhi High Court's subsequent observation in January that it would clamp down on them along the lines of China if they did not devise a mechanism to remove objectionable material had triggered an online outrage.
But apprehensions about the uncontrolled flow of electronic information appeared to have been justified on Thursday, when content posted on Facebook offended religious sentiments and allegedly sparked largescale communal violence in Sangareddy town of Andhra Pradesh's Medak district.
The communal clashes, which began late on Thursday night and continued till Friday afternoon, resulted in injuries to scores of people from both Hindu and Muslim communities and caused extensive damage to property. Consequently, the police imposed indefinite curfew in the town that is located about 70 km from Hyderabad.
Trouble erupted after a local politician posted the photograph of a place of religious worship belonging to the other community on Facebook, allegedly depicting it in an objectionable manner. This enraged the youth of the religious group, who lodged a complaint with the Sangareddy police demanding action against the leader.
Around 10 pm, a group staged a protest outside the police station for not arresting the politico. The news spread like wildfire and soon hundreds of people from the other religious community started raising slogans in support of the leader. The war of words snowballed into a pitched battle with stones and lathis between the two groups.
The frenzied mobs set 40 shops, two four-wheelers and four autorickshaws afire. They also looted several shops and roadside kiosks. The youths vented their ire on a police vehicle as well by setting it ablaze.
As many as 20 people, including some policemen, were injured in the stone pelting. The situation was brought under control only after police reinforcements arrived from other parts of the district.
Superintendent of police John Victor and additional SP P. Venkatesh visited the affected areas on Friday morning and supervised operations to quell the violence. Thereafter, indefinite curfew was clamped in Sangareddy.
However, clashes erupted again after afternoon prayers with agitated groups pelting stones at the police. Medak district collector Suresh Kumar visited the riot-hit areas. He said the law and order situation in the town was under control and appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony. A control room has been opened in Kumar's office to monitor the situation.
Significantly, sources revealed that the objectionable picture had been deleted from the website. However, no action had been taken so far against the political leader who ignited the controversy.
Chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and state home minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting in Hyderabad and directed Kumar as well as the state's director general of police to firmly deal with the troublemakers.
Source : India Today
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