Violent clash between two colonies in Jamshedpur’s Kadma, gunshots fired

Attempt to attack Police, pistol recovered from scene

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, June 2: A violent altercation erupted between residents of Janta Basti in the Sonari police station area and Gandhi Basti near Ramnagar Road No. 1 in Kadma on Sunday evening at approximately 5:15 pm. The confrontation saw around 100 to 150 youths from Janta Basti attacking Gandhi Basti, creating chaos, and firing two rounds into the air. During the melee, several women were reportedly beaten and molested.

Upon receiving reports of the disturbance, police station in-charge Sanjay Suman arrived at the scene with two officers, attempting to defuse the situation. The attackers from Janta Basti fled the scene as police intervened. The clash resulted in injuries to Mukesh Karmakar from Gandhi Basti and Raja Machhua, Virendra Sardar, and Kishan Machhua from Janta Basti. All the injured were transported to MGM Hospital for medical attention. Additionally, police recovered a country-made pistol from the scene, believed to have been brought by the youths from Janta Basti. Due to the severity of the situation, a Quick Response Team (QRT) was deployed to maintain order.

The conflict stems from a longstanding dispute between the two colonies, ongoing for the past 4-5 years. Tensions escalated following an incident on April 6 when residents of Gandhi Basti, including women and girls, were allegedly harassed and beaten while performing Mangala Puja in Janta Basti. Further aggravating the situation, on Saturday, a youth from Janta Basti, reportedly intoxicated, was stopped and slapped by locals in Gandhi Basti on suspicions of theft. This led to the retaliatory attack on Sunday.

Following the attack, the aggressors from Janta Basti threatened the women of Gandhi Basti with further violence, including bomb threats, heightening the fear and anxiety among the residents. To ensure safety, a substantial police presence has been established near Gandhi Basti.

Incident at MGM Hospital

The violence extended to MGM Hospital, where injured youths from Janta Basti were being treated. Here, the situation became tumultuous as the colony residents clashed with the police, attempting to take the injured youths home rather than to the Kadma police station. This altercation led to further chaos, necessitating additional police intervention from the Sakchi police station. The situation at the hospital de-escalated when the residents dispersed upon the arrival of more police personnel.

The police continue to investigate the incident, aiming to restore peace between the two colonies and prevent further violence.