A Bajrang Dal leader who allegedly ‘masterminded’ the violent riots in Bihar during Ram Navami celebrations has surrendered, the police said on Sunday, adding that the violence was pre-planned through social media and messaging platform WhatsApp.

A senior officer said that the alleged ‘mastermind’, Kundan Kumar, the Bajrang Dal convener of Bihar’s Nalanda district, planned the violence in Bihar Sharif town on his WhatsApp group.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Bihar, Jitendra Singh Gawar said the WhatsApp group, of which Kundan Kumar was the admin, had 457 members and formed just ahead of Ram Navami.

The ADGP said the Bajrang Dal leader surrendered after the administration began to attach his properties, adding that another admin of the WhatsApp group, Kishan Kumar, also surrendered before the police.

Giving details, the officer said a conspiracy was hatched on the WhatsApp group to incite violence by posting fake and misleading posts targeting one community and during initial investigations, it came to the fore that the group was also being used to instigate people to indulge in spreading fake videos against the other communities.

He said that a case in this regard has been registered against 15 accused out of which five have been arrested and two—including the mastermind of the plot, Kundan Kumar—have surrendered.

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The ADGP said that the Bihar Police has so far registered a total of 20 FIRs in connection with the communal clashes in Nalanda and Sasaram and more than 200 people have already been arrested

Officials said the arrests have been made by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police, adding that five mobile phones have also been recovered from their possession.

They said the EOU is also conducting a separate investigation to hunt down those involved in spreading fake videos and misleading information on different social media platforms during communal tensions in Nalanda and Sasaram.

The officials further said that the first FIR against 15 people in connection with the Ram Navami riots was registered on April 8 and includes names of five arrested people as accused.

On March 31, violent clashes rocked Nalanda and Sasaram district of Bihar on the occasion of Ram Navami. A youth was killed while over a dozen people were injured in stone-pelting and firing by unidentified miscreants during Ram Navami celebrations in Bihar Sharif town.

Incidents of arson were also reported and at least 10 shops were gutted in the violence.

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The post Bajrang Dal leader who masterminded Bihar Ram Navami violence surrenders, riots were planned on WhatsApp group: Police appeared first on APN News.

Following the celebrations of Ram Navami in Bihar, tensions gripped the state as reports of clashes came to light in Rohtas and Nalanda districts yesterday. It was reported that the violence led to a death in the state.

As per the reports, one person was killed whereas several others were injured due to the clash that broke out between two groups on Saturday night in Nalanda’s Biharsharif. Whereas Rohtas’s Sasaram Town also witness a similar predicament, six people were injured due to a blast that happened at a house.

Following the blast at the house in Sasaramm, the police have told the media that they have seized two vehicles from the site. The police have also told the media that the injured are undergoing treatment at a Sasaram hospital and the probe by the police is underway.

Following clashes in Nalanda, the police have imposed prohibitory orders including the imposition of section 144. The police actions come in a bid to take control of the law and order situation in the district.

It was reported that the police have also arrested over 80 people in Nalanda. The District Magistrate of Nalanda, Shashank Shubhankar, held meetings with community leaders in an effort to maintain peace and order in the area.
The police force has also been increased in Nalanda and Rohtas and senior officials are visiting the affected areas. The authorities have also told the media that the authorities are keeping an eye out on social media to monitor if any provocative and false news is not being spread.

The clashes in Bihar’s Nalanda and Rohtas districts come after tensions prevailed in parts of the state from Thursday over taking out Ram Navami processions. The tensions further escalated into clashes on Friday and now spilled over to Saturday as well.

Addressing the situation in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that communal tensions during Ram Navami festivities at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif are disturbing and also added that such incidents happened are unprecedented in the area. He said the clashes are not natural.

Bihar CM also said that the police are trying to trace the perpetrators and affirmed that strict actions will be taken against them.

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