Internet suspension in Palamu extended till Sunday, 1,000 cops deployed

After a clash between two groups belonging to different communities in Jharkhand's Palam injured several people, including policemen, the suspension of internet services has been extended till February 19. Previously, the internet was suspended from Wednesday 4:00 PM to Thursday 4:00 PM.

A clash broke out between two groups on Wednesday over the erection of a welcome gate for the Shivratri festival in Palam. While one group wanted to gather, the other did not. More than half a dozen people, including a junior policeman and four constables, were injured in the scuffle. "There has been no untoward incident since Wednesday's incident. An FIR has been registered against 145 named people and 500 unnamed," Deputy Commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde was quoted.

All types of internet service in Palamu district were suspended from 4 pm on Wednesday to 4 pm on Thursday. Due to the prevailing situation, the suspension has been extended until 10:00 a.m. on February 19, Dodde said. Senior police officers, including district SP Chandan Kumar Sinha, are camping in Panki, where police and paramilitary personnel took out a flag march to instill confidence among residents. Schools and markets remained closed.

Dodde said around 1,000 district police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order, "A total of 13 people have been arrested so far in connection with the encounter, including Nehal Khan, former head of Panki Paschim panchayat. As the situation was tense, we have deployed adequate police personnel and paramilitary forces in Panki to maintain law and order," Palamu Range IG Raj Kumar Lakra said.

Miscreants set fire to cattle shed on the premises of the house on Wednesday night. However, no cattle were injured in the incident, he said. The district administration has imposed bans under Section 144 of the Personal Data Protection Act since Wednesday following the incident.