Clash breaks out between two groups in Patiala; heavy police deployment
Chandigarh(PTI): A clash broke out between two groups in Patiala on Friday and police had to fire in the air to bring the situation under control.
There were reports of stones being hurled during the incident. Reportedly, a few were injured in the incident which took place during a march taken out by one of the groups.
There was heavy police deployment at the spot to maintain law and order situation. Patiala Inspector General of Police Rakesh Agarwal told reporters in Patiala that the situation was now under control.
"We have called force from outside. A Peace committee meeting has been called by the Deputy Commissioner," he said, adding restoring peace in the area was their priority.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed the incident unfortunate and said he was in touch with the DGP of Punjab police.
"The incident of clashes in Patiala is deeply unfortunate. I have spoken to the DGP; peace has been restored in the area. We are closely monitoring the situation and will not let anyone create disturbance in the state," Mann said in a tweet.
He said Punjab's peace and harmony is of utmost importance.
When asked to comment on the incident, the IG said the incident took place as "some mischievous elements had spread some rumours. We have controlled the situation. We are conducting a flag march in Patiala city".
When asked how many have been injured in the incident, Agarwal said they were still checking it.
"Due to some rumour, things had escalated, but things have been controlled now," he said. Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, Sakshi Sawhney said: "We appeal to all to maintain calm and not to lend credence to any rumours."
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
