Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the violent incidents that took place at several places in Jalandhar between two communities.
The violence was the fallout of an incident which took place on Thursday night. One person was killed and 11 injured when police opened fire to disperse members of the Jat Sikh community and dalits who clashed at two places in Jalandhar district prompting authorities to clamp curfew in Palhan village.
On Friday morning, the Central Reserve Police Force was deployed in Jalandhar after a large number of dalits, brandishing swords and lathis, came out on the streets pelting stones and burning vehicles to protest the killing of the youth in police firing.
The protestors torched at least four vehicles and stoned police personnel.
Police sources said that the dalits of Buta Mandi in the heart of the city took to the streets demanding immediate suspension of the police personnel allegedly responsible for Thursday's firing.
The mob burnt two trucks in Buta Mandi while two buses were torched at Maksoda locality, about 10km from Jalandhar, on the road to Amritsar.
In view of these developments, Amarinder Singh constituted a high-powered ministerial committee to immediately visit the site in order to assess the situation.
The committee comprises Finance Minister Lal Singh, Local Government Minister Jagjit Singh, Food and Supplies Minister Avtar Henry, Medical Education Minister Santokh Singh and Technical Education Minister Mohinder Singh Kaypee.
Singh ordered the law and order machinery in the area to prevent any untoward incident and keep strict vigil to safeguard the life and property of the people.
