RANCHI

Internet services have been shut in four districts of Jharkhand as tension gripped parts of Hazaribag district after a boy was killed in a clash between members of two communities on Sunday evening, police said.

According to police, Internet services were shut in Hazaribag and neighbouring Koderma, Giridih and Chatra districts. “The home department barred the services after a request from the administration in these districts to prevent rumour mongering. Situation is normal now. Myself and the deputy commissioner have been camping at Barhi since Sunday night,” said Hazaribag superintendent of police Manoj Ratan Chothe.

Rupesh Kumar Pandey, 17, died after allegedly being assaulted by a group of four people at Kariyadpur village under Barhi police station in Hazaribag district, police said.

The locals reportedly took the injured victim to the Barhi hospital where he was declared dead.

As the news spread, one of the groups resorted to arson and set a car on fire, even as the local police tried to disperse the crowd.

On Monday, a huge crowd gathered at the village of victim with his body and staged a protest.

Going by the history of the communal flare-ups in district, the administration decided to impose restrictions on Internet services to prevent rumour mongering, said the SP.

“We have arrested the four accused, including one Aslam alias Pappu. We also have an eyewitness who was with the victim at the time of the incident. There is no communal angle in the incident and it’s not a case of mob lynching. As per initial investigation, the incident was related to a fight this group had with the boy in their college.” said Chothe.