Gujarat: 35 Held For Clash After Graves Of Sufi Saint And His Kin Razed At Shrine Near Ahmedabad

Police have arrested 35 persons in connection with a clash that broke out between two groups after the graves of a Sufi saint and his family members were flattened at the Pirana shrine located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, an official said on Thursday.

During the clash that occurred on Tuesday night, members of two communities pelted each other with stones, which resulted in some persons getting injured, he said.

The Pirana shrine is managed by the Imamshah Bawa Roza Trust that has been a symbol of the Hindu-Muslim amity, with members from both the communities being its trustees.

"Due to some differences, one of the trustees razed to the ground the graves of Sufi saint Imamshah Bawa and his family members at the Pirana shrine on Tuesday night, leading to members of two communities hurling stones at each other," Ahmedabad (Rural) Superintendent of Police Omprakash Jat said.

When the matter came to light, people from both the communities gathered at the shrine in large numbers late at night. A team of police also rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control and maintain law and order, he said.

"But the two sides started pelting each other with stones, leaving some persons, including police personnel, getting injured," he said.

After the incident, complaints were filed from both sides against unidentified individuals, he said.

"The police have arrested 35 persons in this connection under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to attempt to murder, rioting and damage to public property, among others," Jat said.

The police carried out patrolling in the area and the situation was brought under control, he said.