Eyewitness says rioters set fire with petrol:Violence erupts in Betul after animal abuse, homes and shops vandalised; woman says police arrived late

Silence prevailed everywhere, most shops in the market remained closed, and burnt and scattered goods lay in front of several stores. Moving further, the smell of burning was noticeable. People appeared terrified. No one was ready to speak openly. When the Dainik Bhaskar team reached Damjipura, 110 kilometres from Betul district headquarters, on Sunday after the riots, the situation was exactly like this. On Sunday morning, daily life continued as usual in Damjipura village. A video surfaced here. The outrage quickly turned into communal tension. Within a few hours, widespread violence broke out in the village. The Bhaskar team toured the area and spoke with local residents to understand the real situation. How the conflict began… In fact, on Sunday morning, a video of animal abuse surfaced in Damjipura, Betul, which quickly went viral. In the morning, Hindu organisations called the SDOP, requesting to file a complaint regarding the incident. The Mohda police station in-charge assured action. Later, based on the viral video, the accused was identified and taken into custody. It was also revealed on the spot that the viral video was old. During this time, the mob entered the police outpost and assaulted the accused. After this, the situation deteriorated and escalated into a riot. Hindu organisations quickly became outraged. Around 9 am, they first surrounded the police outpost and vandalised two shops, setting them on fire, one of which belonged to the accused. Stones thrown at homes, parked vehicles damaged The mob also entered Muslim neighbourhoods, throwing stones at houses and breaking parked vehicles. As the news spread, anger flared in Hindu organisations. People from nearby Mohda village attending a religious event and others from surrounding villages moved towards Damjipura. Not just that, people from neighbouring districts also began reaching Damjipura. Seeing this, the police administration immediately acted. Around noon, SP Virendra Jain and in-charge Collector Akshat Jain reached the site. Currently, around 100 policemen are deployed in the village. IG Mithilesh Kumar and DIG Prashant Khare arrived late at night. The local SDOP and four TIs are camping there overnight. Protesters also vandalised vehicles To control the situation, police forces from Bhainsdehi, Chicholi, and Mohda police stations were sent to the site. Armoured vehicles and additional forces were dispatched from the police line at 11:45 am. The police force reached the village around 1:35 pm. The police asked the mob present to disperse and tried to bring the situation under control. Despite this, fires were set in some other vehicles. Tyres were punctured, and vandalism occurred in shops such as electronics stores, mobile shops, and tailoring shops. Several vehicles were also damaged. According to reports, during the incident, the mob moved through different neighbourhoods. Markets were closed, followed by vandalism in shops. Electronics and mobile shops vandalised, set on fire The unrest continued from the morning, and police did not reach in time. According to local sources, the village has a population of about 2,500, including 30–40 Muslim families, while the majority belong to the Rathore and Koraku communities. Locals said that the violence started around 10 am, but initially, police forces could not reach the site. Though the police claimed that the situation was under control by evening, silence and fear were evident on the ground. Debris from burnt shops was visible in the market area. Some residents said several shops were looted. Broken locks and scattered goods bore testimony to the destruction. Many houses in the Muslim settlement were locked, as residents went to stay with relatives or in safe locations. Accusation – petrol used from pump to set fires Locals said that the police force arrived around 3:30 pm, by which time the mob had gone out of control. The situation could have been contained earlier. Eyewitnesses said that rioters used petrol from a petrol pump to set fires. Panchayat member Santosh Rathore said that there was no conflict in the village until then. Hindus and Muslims lived together peacefully, but this incident broke that trust. Local woman Salma Begum said, “People were throwing stones and vehicles were being damaged. The police came very late. Who will take responsibility now?” Electricity turned off to avoid CCTV recording A villager, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it seemed the electricity in the village was cut to prevent anything being recorded on CCTV. No one in the crowd was allowed to film the arson and vandalism. This is why even 12 hours after the incident, no video of the violence has surfaced. ‘No one anticipated the issue would escalate so much’ Mohda police in-charge V.K. Maurya said that the accused was taken into custody. No one expected the matter to escalate to such an extent. The viral video spread anger among Hindu organisations, and people from other districts also gathered. Action was taken as soon as the incident was reported. SP says – violence sparked due to rumours According to SP Virendra Jain, the atmosphere was tense since morning. The accused was caught around 9:30 am, but rumours on social media escalated the unrest. The SP said that forces were dispatched immediately upon receiving information about the riot. A survey will be conducted for homes and shops that were damaged. A heavy police force has been deployed to restore peace. The administration appealed to people not to pay attention to rumours and maintain peace.