Communal clash erupts in Gujarat, allegedly over social media post on 'The Kerala Story'

Ten people have been arrested so far after a communal clash erupted over a social media post leaving eight persons injured in Gujarat’s Patan district, the police said on Tuesday.

While the police have not disclosed the content of the social media post that triggered the clash at Balisana town on the night of July 16, sources said it was about the Bollywood movie The Kerala Story.

“We have so far arrested ten persons belonging to both sides. Of them, eight from one side were arrested on Monday while two from the opposite side, including one Krish Patel, were arrested on Tuesday,” said inspector J S Chaudhary of Balisana police station.

Cases have been registered against the ten accused under various charges, including rioting, assault and attempt to murder, said Chaudhary.

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As part of the investigation on Monday, the police took some of the arrested accused to the Masjid Chowk area in Balisana where the incident took place. A video of this police exercise, called “reconstruction of the crime”, also went viral on social media platforms.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police K K Pandya, the situation in the town is under control.

“Some people were upset because a person from the town had posted something on social media. This post eventually led to a communal clash on Sunday night. Eight persons were injured in the clash. We have taken complaints from both sides,” said Pandya.

As per a first information report (FIR) registered on a complaint by Arif Shaikh, one Krish Patel and Nimesh Patel attacked him and his uncle Ilyas Shaikh despite the fact that a compromise had already been reached between Ilyas Shaikh and a youngster over the latter's social media post.

Arif Shaikh alleged that the Patel duo attacked them with a steel rod and threw stones at them.

In his cross-complaint, one Meetkumar Patel alleged that a mob of around 35 people, including the Shaikh duo, attacked him and five of his friends at Masjid Chowk with the intention to kill them over a social media post uploaded by a village youngster.

As per their FIR, Shaikh and others surrounded Patel and five of his friends at Masjid Chowk on Sunday night over the post and brutally attacked them with sticks, pipes and swords.