Atali clashes may have sparked off Palwal violence, say police

08, Jul 2015

Source URL: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/atali-clashes-may-have-sparked-off-palwal-violence-say-police/

Written by Aniruddha Ghosal | New Delhi | Published on:July 8, 2015 2:52 am
With the communal violence at Tikri Brahman village at Palwal in Haryana taking place close on the heels of rioting at Atali village less than 30 km away, police admit that the “charged atmosphere” in the Jat-dominated villages of the area is a cause of concern. In addition, police said the continuing demand for holding a ‘mahapanchayat’ by Jat villagers in Atali was contributing to the unrest.
At Tikri Brahman, communal clashes on Sunday had left 39 people injured. While police made 17 arrests after the rioting, they admitted that a “ripple effect” of the communal violence at Atali couldn’t be denied. IGP (South Range) Mamta Singh said, “The dispute was a simple one and it should have ended there. But there was already a charged atmosphere in the village. Atali is not very far away and this belt, which is dominated by Jats, has been slightly influenced by the developments there. There was a ripple effect which escalated the issue.”