Prohibitory orders were imposed in parts of Ranchi city after some policemen, including an Indian Police Service officer, and others were injured in Ranchi on Friday while trying to control a mob near a temple, an official said.
The incident occurred after protests erupted with hundreds of people demanding the arrest of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
Internet services have been snapped in Ranchi from 7 pm on Friday to 6 am on Saturday.
Police fired in the air besides resorted to lathi-charge to control the mob which spilled out on the road after Friday prayers in a mosque located close by.
The protestors shouted slogans and pelted the police with stones leading to heavy deployment in and around Main Road.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC, (prohibiting gathering of five or more people) has been imposed in an around the affected area, the official said.
Ranchi Deputy Commissioner, Chhavi Ranjan told PTI, 'The prohibitory order is applicable on 500 metres of both sides of Main Road from Albert Ekka Chowk to Sujata Chowk, near the overbridge, till further orders.'
Jharkhand Police spokesperson Amol V Homkar told PTI, "A few policemen, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ranchi Surendra Kumar Jha, have been injured. We have made adequate deployment of security forces, including Rapid Action Force. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the affected area."
Homkar said the exact number of injured is being assessed while some have been referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).
Meanwhile drone surveillance is being done in the affected area to keep an eye on the miscreants.
Condemning the violence, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren termed it as 'a planned conspiracy' and warned the miscreants to abstain from such incidents.
"The incident is a matter of concern. People of Jharkhand are sensitive and peace loving... I will appeal to the people of the state to not be part of any such act which can land them in trouble...Strict action will be taken against those found indulging in such activities," he said.
Prohibitory orders have also been imposed in Hazaribag Sadar subdivision, an official said.
As per the orders issued by the sub-divisional magistrate, Sadar Hazaribag, use of social media platforms for spreading messages with communal overtones about incidents in Ranchi has been banned.
Bhartiya Janata Party national vice president and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das sought Soren's resignation over 'deteriorating law and order condition' and demanded to know why security was not beefed up despite having prior knowledge of the protests.
He said: 'I strongly condemn the vandalism by anti-social elements in Ranchi. The government should leave vote bank politics and take strict action against the culprits else such incidents will increase in the coming days.'
A large crowd of people gathered on Main Road shouting slogans against Sharma and Naveen Jindal, former head of the Delhi BJP's media unit, over the controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
According to police officers, the protest has been continuing since morning and picked up tempo post-Friday prayers. Many shops and establishments kept their shutters down in protest against the remarks.
The protestors raised slogans demanding immediate arrest of Sharma.
"More than 1,100 shops in the market were shut since morning in protest against the remarks of Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal. We demand their immediate arrest," New Daily Market Traders Welfare Association President Haji Md Hasim told PTI.
Hasim said they wanted a peaceful procession but the police didn't give permission.
"So we are protesting peacefully outside our shops here," he said.
In Hazaribag, soon after Friday prayers, some groups tried to take out a protest march through the town but were prevented by the police personnel already deployed at the strategic points of the town, said Superintendent of Police, Manoj Ratan Chothe.
In East Singhbhum district, several members of the minority community at Chakulia of Ghatsila sub-division offered Friday prayers by wearing black badges.
The row over the alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad escalated on Sunday with protests from countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran, prompting the BJP to take action against its functionaries and assert that it respects all religions.
As the row intensified within the country and abroad, the BJP on Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Jindal.
