Bihar clashes: Amit Shah's visit to Sasaram called off amid sec 144

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Bihar's Sarsaram district was canceled as the state government imposed Section 144 in the area following Ram Navami violence. Shah was scheduled to arrive in Patna on Saturday evening on a two-day visit to Bihar, where he was scheduled to address rallies in two districts on Sunday.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to come to Sasaram for an event. Since the Bihar government has imposed Sec 144, we have to cancel the action. How can we organize such an event?” Bihar BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary told reporters. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manoj Kumar ordered the imposition of Section 144 in Sasaram on Friday afternoon following a re-eruption of clashes that first erupted the previous evening.

"Several shops and vehicles were set on fire or vandalized in areas like Shahajalal Pir, Sona Patti, Qadir Ganj and Navratna Pir, where angry mobs also indulged in heavy stone pelting, injuring many people, including two policemen," the SDM said. After the clash between the two groups in Nalanda turned violent, leaving 14 injured, the administration imposed Section 144 CrPC across the city as a precautionary measure. Internet Services Internet services have been suspended.

 Meanwhile, the Bihar police have arrested a total of 45 people in connection with the clashes in Sasaram and Nalanda, the state police headquarters said on Saturday. Of these, 18 people were arrested in Sasaram, where the Union Home program was planned. In Bihar Sharif, the headquarters of Nitish Kumar Nalanda's chief district, 27 people were arrested.

In its statement, PHQ also claimed that "normalcy had been restored" in both places, although senior officers camped in the affected areas as a precaution and heavy deployment of forces continued.