Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday threatened to hang rioters “upside down”, prescribing the medieval-era punishment as he flagged the communal violence in pockets of Bihar since Ram Navami.

He claimed that continuing firing and killings had forced him to cancel a trip to Sasaram. The state administration emphasised that Sasaram had been peaceful on Sunday, after having witnessed clashes since Thursday’s Ram Navami processions.

“The BJP will hang the rioters upside down and straighten them out (if voted to power in Bihar),” the nation’s home minister told a rally in Nawada, prescribing punishment from outside the Indian Penal Code and appearing to blame a particular community for the violence.

“We do not indulge in appeasement and vote bank politics,” said Shah, known for making statements like “aap chronology samajhiye (please understand the chronology”) when the citizenship matrix was being road-tested.

“Riots do not take place under our rule,” Shah added, seemingly oblivious to the fact that one of the worst phases of riots in the country took place on the BJP’s watch in Gujarat in 2002.

Shah, who was to also attend a rally in Sasaram, Rohtas district, on Sunday to commemorate the birth anniversary of Emperor Asoka, explained why he had to cancel it.

“People are being killed in Sasaram. Bullets and tear gas are being fired. I could not go there. I seek forgiveness from the people of Sasaram for this,” he said. “I promise to visit the place and organise a conference in memory of Emperor Asoka during my next tour.”

The state administration, which says the lone fatality during the Ram Navami violence occurred in Biharsharif, contested the picture of continuing turmoil Shah painted.

“The situation is completely peaceful in Sasaram. There has not been a single death there. There has been no violence on Sunday,” Rohtas district magistrate Dharmendra Kumar told The Telegraph.

Shah slammed the handling of the violence by the Nitish Kumar government, which has alleged the clashes were engineered.

“Biharsharif (in Nalanda district) and Sasaram are burning. People are worried. Provide full majority to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by giving 40 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats (in Bihar) in 2024 and ensure a BJP government in the state in 2025,” Shah said.

He said he was praying to God for a quick restoration of peace in Bihar.

“There is no point telling the state government. I telephoned the governor in the morning, but Lalan Singh (Janata Dal United president) asked why I was worrying myself about Bihar,” he said.

“Brother, I am the home minister of the country. Bihar is part of the country. I have to worry because you are unable to control it.”

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday reviewed the situation in Sasaram and Biharsharif and directed his officials to “stay alert, identify the miscreants and take the strictest possible action against them”.

Sporadic violence had also occurred in Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and a few other places. A youth died and several people were injured.

Nitish spoke to the family of the slain youth on Sunday and ordered a compensation of Rs 5 lakh from the chief minister’s relief fund.

The government has made heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces and sent officials to the affected places.

Chief secretary Amir Subhani and director-general of police R.S. Bhatti held a news conference in the evening on Nitish’s instructions.

“Ram Navami concluded peacefully everywhere except two places in the state. The situation was quickly brought under control at both places. Things have been peaceful since this morning,” Subhani said.

Bhatti said that 109 people had been arrested and more arrests would follow.

“Altogether, 1,832 Ram Navami processions were organised in the state and barring two, all were peaceful,” he added.

At Nawada, Shah asked whether there could be peace under a government that included the party of Lalu Prasad who had brought “jungle raj” to Bihar.

He alleged that greed for power had prompted Nitish to join hands with Lalu Prasad, and asserted the BJP’s doors were now closed forever to him.

“This is a strange government in Bihar. One person (Nitish) wants to become Prime Minister, another (deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav) wants to become chief minister,” Shah said.

“I will tell Lalu there is no vacancy at the top; Modi will again become Prime Minister. And when he does, Nitish will not allow your son (Tejashwi) to become chief minister.”