Ranchi violence: Admin says police opened fire as 'last resort'

RANCHI: Days after violence in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi in which two people lost their lives, the district administration on Sunday said that police opened fire on protestors as a "last resort".

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi Chhavi Ranjan said the violent situation in Ranchi is under control and whoever was responsible for causing violence will be dealt with strictly in accordance with provisions of law.

"When a crowd is declared an unlawful assembly, there is an SOP, through it the magistrate takes the decision after police assessment. Firing and air firing is the last resort to control and neutralize the disturbance. We took all precautions and necessary steps as per SOP, and after this, we had to open fire as last resort," Ranjan added.

Protest erupted in Ranchi after Friday prayers on June 10 against the controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad made by suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled leader Naveen Jindal. Two people died and several others sustained injuries as the protest turned violent. Internet services were suspended following the protest have now been restored. The police said that it is scanning social media posts and taking preventive measures to stop the spread of rumours.

"Since the internet services have been restored, we are monitoring the situation across Jharkhand. Social media posts are under scan. We are also taking preventive measures to stop the spread of rumours. Necessary actions will be taken against rumour-mongers," said Jharkhand Police.

After the violence, the Ranchi administration had imposed section 144 (barring gathering of 4 or people in an area) in several areas of the capital city. Earlier, Senior Superintendent of Ranchi Police (SSP), SK Jha had asserted that the violent situation in the city is "under control".

As per Jha, till now, the police have registered as many as 25 FIRs against 26 known persons and hundreds of unknown persons. On being asked about the influence of an outsider who was linked with Saharanpur violence, Jha said, "SIT is investigating every aspect related to the violence. Whenever we say anything, we will say it on record with responsibility. The investigation is still underway."

Meanwhile, the district administration had eased the imposed restrictions by giving a relaxation of 5 hours to the police station areas of Daily market, Kotwali, Hindpiri, Doranda, Lower Bazar and Chutia and other areas are completely exempted from Section 144. Earlier on Saturday, a delegation of Jamiat ulama-e-hind led by its General Secretary Maulana M Hakimuddin met the senior police officers demanding a fair probe into the matter.

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