A building set on fire by a mob in Dutkaiya village in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh. | Photo credit: Shubhomoy Sikdar
A mob in Dutkaiya village in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on Sunday (February 1, 2026) vandalized and set ablaze more than half a dozen houses owned by the minority community, police said. At least seven police officers were injured as they spent several hours protecting over two dozen people, including women and children, from a crowd of hundreds of people.
The communal clash was the result of a chain of events that began a few hours ago when three men, one of them on bail in a temple desecration case, allegedly assaulted locals, police said.
Gariaband Superintendent of Police Vedvrat Sirmaur told reporters on Monday (February 2, 2026) that in 2024, Dutkaiye resident Arif Khan was lodged in the Mana Juvenile Correctional Institution after he and two others allegedly vandalized 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 attacked four men, including at least one eyewitness to the desecration case.
A building damaged in the violence at Dutkaiya village in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh. | 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 vandalized Mr. Khan’s house in the village. A police team was then dispatched to the village and advised the villagers not to provoke.
However, the peace did not last long and soon a larger crowd of several hundreds from Dutkaiy and nearby villages gathered on the spot. Armed with sticks, bricks, stones and kerosene bottles, they allegedly tried to enter the houses of 10 Muslim families who had locked themselves there.
“The mob set fire to vehicles and demanded that they be allowed to enter the houses of Muslims. Not only were we outnumbered, but there was a shortage of manpower due to the Rajim Kumbh (the main religious congregation in the state). We kept watch for the next few hours and ensured that the mob did not enter or harm residents including women and children,” said a police officer.
While the policemen stood guard, the mob pelted stones and even tried to enter the houses from the adjoining houses. However, police teams held them off until reinforcements arrived in two batches by 9:00 p.m.
Only after the arrival of the last batch did the police use force and disperse the crowd while rescuing about 20 residents in the bus. At least two adults from these families were injured. The police then learned that a group of six or seven children were trapped in the madrasa. They were subsequently rescued, and six police officers suffered serious injuries.
Around midnight, while the situation was brought under control and the policemen were preparing to leave, a woman from the crowd threw a brick at the policeman, who suffered severe head injuries. Others, including the officer quoted above, also suffered superficial or blunt force injuries.
Charred vehicles and partially burnt houses could be seen when Hindus visited the village on Monday (February 2, 2026) afternoon. A large police contingent was also present. All the Muslim families have left the village and continue to hide elsewhere.
After the 2024 incident, families related to Mr. Khan left the village fearing a backlash, but the administration convinced them to return, another police officer said. Residents said there was tension between the two communities, but this was due to economic and various other reasons.
“Meanwhile, the above incidents led to a disturbance among the villagers of Dutkaiya and a mob gathered near the house of the accused. On receiving information, the police immediately rushed to the spot, brought the situation under control and dispersed the mob. To prevent loss of life and property, necessary minimum force was used to disperse the unruly mob and the injured were sent to the hospital for treatment on Monday 02.2026) read.
Two FIRs have been registered in connection with the riots.
Published – 03 Feb 2026 0:02 IST