Nahan (HP), Oct 27 (PTI) Prohibitory orders restricting public gatherings have been imposed until October 29 in parts of Nahan town in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, where a dispute between two communities had turned violent, officials said on Tuesday.
District Magistrate, Sirmaur, Priyanka Verma, issued the orders late Monday night after reports said people from the Sikh and Valmiki communities from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Punjab were expected to arrive at Valmiki Chowk to protest in favour of their communities.
On October 23, a dispute arose at the Valmiki Chowk in Nahan town between members of the Sikh and Valmiki communities regarding the installation of a ‘welcome gate’ by the Sikh community.
According to police, an argument broke out between the two groups, and the situation soon escalated, with both sides attacking each other with bricks, stones and glass bottles. Fourteen people, including Nahan Sadar police station Station House Officer Kulbir Singh and two other police personnel, sustained injuries. Government and private vehicles were also damaged.
Although sustained police intervention brought the situation under control, the order said communal tension in the area remains a concern. Officials said strict police barricading prevented groups travelling to Nahan from within Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring states from reaching the town; consequently, no protests or sloganeering occurred.
After the prohibitory orders were imposed, police deployed about 150 personnel and officers across Sirmaur district to conduct rigorous checks on travellers heading to Nahan. Officials said police established checkpoints at Kala Amb, Nahan Dosadka, Nahan Valmiki Chowk, Paonta, Bata Bridge, Kolar village, Sarahan, and Banog, where they thoroughly inspected vehicles.
Representatives from both communities arrived in Nahan from Punjab to help resolve the ongoing dispute.
Jathedar Avtar Singh of the Punjab Budha Dal and Billu Valmiki, general secretary of the Valmiki Tirath, Amritsar, spoke to the media and appealed to members of both the Sikh and Valmiki communities to maintain mutual brotherhood, harmony, and peace.
Both representatives urged members of the two communities to exercise restraint and uphold communal harmony. They said both communities should resolve the matter, and efforts are underway.
A police official told PTI that police are not relaxing security measures and are maintaining strict vigilance while closely monitoring the situation.
The order prohibited the assembly of five or more persons, carrying lethal weapons, rallies, processions, demonstrations and strikes. It also prohibits carrying any inflammable objects and hurling stones or other objectionable materials in public places. The district magistrate (DM) has also banned inflammatory, communal, anti-state, or anti-national speeches.
Earlier on Saturday, the DM called a joint meeting of members from the Valmiki and Sikh communities, and both sides agreed to a peace pact, affirming that they would not have further disputes. Subsequently, the Valmiki Jayanti procession passed through the Govindgarh neighbourhood, where Sikh community members enthusiastically welcomed it. PTI COR BPL ASD
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