Authorities in Bhainsa town in Nirmal district in Telangana on Monday suspended internet services following communal clashes which left 11 people injured.
The police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and suspended internet to control the situation following communal violence late on Sunday and again on Monday in Bhainsa.
District Superintendent of Police C. Shashidhar Raju said Section 144 and suspension of internet services would continue till January 15.
A total of 11 persons, including two policemen, were injured in the clashes late on Sunday night. The violence broke out after a man was attacked by members of another community. As many as 13 houses, 24 bikes, a car and an auto rickshaw were burnt in the violence.
Locals alleged that mobs targeted houses and shops of a particular community and set them afire.
Additional police forces from Ramagundam, Siddipet, Jagital, Siricilla and Adilabad were rushed to Bhanisa to control the situation in the early hours of the day.
The situation is now under control, Superintendent of Police Raju and District Collector M. Prasanthi said in a joint statement
The two district officers, along with Inspector Generals (IGs) of north zone and Karimnagar zone, had visited the town and assured the people that the culprits will be brought to book.
Bandi Sanjay, BJP MP from Karimnagar, alleged that ‘anti-national communal elements’ had burnt the houses. He alleged that the state government had tied the hands of the police.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the violence in Bhainsa and demanded Telangana Chief Minister and DGP to take strictest action against the miscreants and the organisations that they belong to.
He claimed that people returning from a religious congregation in Nirmal were attacked. He blamed Hindu Vahini for the violence and said two religious places were subject to arson.
