Prohibitory orders were imposed in Attili Mandal, Andhra Pradesh on Thursday night after 13 people were injured in a clash due to stone pelting.
The incident, which took place in Uddarapadu village, was due to a clash between Chiranjeevi fans and Dalits. Police issued an advisory to residents against venturing out.
The clash took place over a piece of land which belongs to the Roads and Buildings Department. Chiranjeevi fans had taken over the land nearly ten 10 years ago.
The land, which remained neglected, was spruced up recently by the fans, and turned into a park for their activities. As the park was adjacent to the SC Colony, the Dalits had asked the fans to give them half the land for their activities. The fans agreed to give a quarter of the land instead. This led to a long argument, Attili police said.
The New Indian Express reported that the local MLA had learnt about this bitter relationship between the Dalits and Chiranjeevi fans, and had asked both the groups to resolve the issue amicably.
On Thursday night, there was a pooja at a nearby Sai Baba temple. Devotees who visited the temple parked their vehicles in the park, which the Dalit youth objected to. They claimed that they were conducting an event about Dr B R Ambedkar, for which they had also erected a banner in the park.
Chiranjeevi fans asked them why they erected a banner when there was already a statue in the colony, which led to a heated argument. The argument escalated to a gang fight between six Dalit youngsters and seven Chiranjeevi fans, who physically assaulted each other.
The clash intensified when both the groups pelted stones at each other, following which the police had to intervene and detain the persons involved in the violence. Both parties have slapped cases against each other. The situation is under control, the police said.
They also informed that the piece of land, which was the bone of contention for both the groups, had been taken over by the R & B department.