Police dismiss reports of Hindus fleeing home in Bihar’s Sasaram as ‘baseless’

Police on Sunday rubbished the media reports claiming migration of Hindu residents from Sasaram town in Bihar’s Rohtas district amid communal tension in the region in the aftermath of clashes during Ram Navami festivities.

Calling the reports “totally baseless and absurd”, Rohtas Police appealed to not pay heed to “any such rumour” and insisted that the situation was “peaceful and normal.”

A Twitter user posted a video clip of a news report that claimed Hindus residing in Muslim-dominated areas of Shahjalaal Peer and Kadirganj in Sasaram were leaving their house due to fear of violence.

“This is totally baseless and absurd rumour. No one has left his/her locality. If you can provide name, then plz do so. We appeal to the general public not to pay attention to any such rumour. The situation is peaceful and normal in Sasaram,” the police said.

Despite prohibitory orders in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif, the headquarters of Rohtas and Nalanda districts respectively, fresh violence erupted in Sasaram with five people getting injured in a bomb blast on Saturday evening, reported ANI. The injured people were taken to a hospital, and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was rushed to the spot to investigate the incident, officials said.

Sasaram DM Dharmendra Kumar said, “There was a bomb blast in Sasaram. Injured people were referred to BHU hospital. We’re investigating all the angles right now.”

“The blast was reported at a shanty and a scooty has been recovered from the area. Prima facie it does not appear to be a communal incident,” the police said.

Rohtas Police later said the blast occurred during the handling of illegal explosives at a private property and two persons have been arrested in the matter.

The police team, Special Task Force (STF), and Para Military forces conducted a flag march in Sasaram on Saturday.