Himachal villages calm after protests over cow slaughter
By IANSFriday, February 12, 2010
SHIMLA - Normalcy returned to the villages of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district Saturday after violent protests over the slaughter of a cow, police said.
“The situation is under control today (Saturday) in almost all the villages where violent protests erupted over the cow slaughter. Additional forces have been deployed there to monitor the situation,” Superintendent of Police R.M. Sharma told IANS.
A mosque and a few shops were attacked Friday afternoon.
Around 4,000 people from various villages gathered at Nerwa, some 120 km from state capital Shimla, Friday to lodge their protest over the cow slaughtered by a member of a minority community Thursday.
The protesters later turned violent and damaged a madrassa at Kothar village near Nerwa, breaking its windowpanes and setting furniture on fire. A mosque at Nerwa was also attacked and a motorcycle set afire.
The shops were closed as a mark of protest and the mob also attacked and damaged some shops that were open.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu organisations Saturday called for a shutdown in Shimla from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We have deployed more than 200 police personnel in Shimla to monitor the situation. Nobody will be allowed to disturb law and order,” Sharma said.
