A building that was set on fire by the mob at Dutkaiya village of Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district.
| Photo Credit: Shubhomoy Sikdar
A mob in Dutkaiya village of Gariaband district in Chhattisgarh on Sunday (February 1, 2026) vandalised and set on fire over half a dozen houses owned by a minority community, the police said. At least seven policemen suffered injuries while shielding over two dozen people, including women and children, against a mob of hundreds for several hours.
The communal clash was the fallout of a chain of events that began a few hours earlier when three men, one of them out on bail in a temple desecration case, allegedly assaulted locals, said the police.
Gariaband Superintendent of Police Vedvrat Sirmaur told journalists on Monday (February 2, 2026) that in 2024, Dutkaiya resident Arif Khan was placed in the Mana Juvenile Correctional Home after he and two others allegedly vandalised the Chaveshwar Shiva temple in the village. Another officer added that Mr. Khan, now 18, was granted bail the same year but never returned to the village until the early hours of Sunday (February 1, 2026), when he and two of his accomplices from Raipur allegedly assaulted four men, including at least one eyewitness of the desecration case.
A building damaged in the violence at Dutkaiya village of Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district.
| Photo Credit:
Shubhomoy Sikdar
While the police registered four cases against Mr. Khan and his accomplices and assured the villagers that he would be arrested, a small mob vandalised Mr. Khan’s house in the village. A police team was then sent to the village and they counselled the villagers against any further provocation.
However, peace was short-lived and soon, a larger mob of several hundreds from Dutkaiya and adjoining villages had gathered at the spot. Armed with sticks, bricks, stones, and kerosene bottles, they allegedly tried to enter the homes of the 10 Muslim families who had locked themselves in.
“The crowd set the vehicles ablaze and demanded that they be allowed to enter the homes of Muslims. Not only were we outnumbered but there was a manpower crunch due to the Rajim Kumbh [a major religious congregation in the State]. For the next few hours, we stood guard and ensured that the mob did not enter or harm the residents that included women and children,” said the police officer.
While the policemen stood guard, the crowd pelted stones and even tried to enter the homes from adjacent houses. However, the police teams held them off till the reinforcements arrived in two batches by 9 p.m. “Attempts to pacify the crowd proved futile. We started shifting the trapped victims to one place,” recalled the officer.
It was only after the arrival of the last batch that the police used force and dispersed the mob while rescuing the 20-odd residents in a bus. At least two adults from these families sustained injuries. The police then learnt that there was a group of six or seven children trapped in a madrasa. They were subsequently rescued and six policemen sustained grievous injuries.
While the situation was brought under control around midnight and the police were preparing to leave, a woman from the mob threw a brick at a policeman, who suffered severe head injuries. Others, including the officer quoted above, also sustained superficial or blunt injuries.
When The Hindu visited the village on Monday (February 2, 2026) afternoon, charred vehicles and partially burnt houses could be seen. A large police contingent was also present. All the Muslim families have left the village and continue to take shelter elsewhere.
After the 2024 incident, the families of those related to Mr. Khan had left the village fearing backlash but were convinced by the administration to return, said another police officer. Residents said that there were tensions between the two communities but those were due to economic and various other reasons.
“Meanwhile, the above incidents led to unrest among the villagers of Dutkaiya, and a crowd gathered near the accused’s house. Upon receiving information, the police force immediately rushed to the scene, brought the situation under control, and dispersed the crowd. To prevent loss of life and property, necessary minimum force was used to disperse the unruly crowd, and the injured were sent to the hospital for treatment,” an official statement issued by the police on Monday (February 2, 2026) read.
Two FIRs have been registered in connection with the rioting.
Published – February 03, 2026 12:02 am IST
