SDM, cops hurt in Allahabad communal clash, 11 held

Paucity of additional force, as most were deployed to escort religious processions elsewhere, led to delay in controlling the situation and giving the rioters an opportunity to berserk for a couple of hours.

At least two FIRs have been registered and 11 people have been arrested for rioting. Additional PAC and RAF personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order situation.

BJP MP from Phulpur Keshav Prasad Maurya and several party leaders staged a protest by blocking a road after they were stopped by the police from visiting the affected area. They later called off the protest after submitting a memorandum to the local authority.

The police said while the immediate cause for violence was a minor issue, however, the situation in the area was already tense since a brawl between two persons of different communities on Saturday night. Inspector General (Allahabad Zone) Daljit Singh maintained that the incident remained localised.

The police said neighbours Aftab Alam and Arun Kesarwani had a dispute over a shop. On Saturday evening, Alam tried to start construction in the shop, to which Kesarwani objected. This led to an argument and soon stone pelting began.

However, after the police reached the spot, the matter appeared to have been sorted out. The police had formally put an injunction in place on any further construction.

On Sunday afternoon, the religious procession on Milad-un-Nabi was on its way to Karbala. Near Hanuman chauraha, a person named Suraj tried to climb on to a horse, which was part of procession, the police said, adding, this led to argument between the two groups and soon stone pelting begun.

SDM (Soraon) Alok Verma sustained an injury when he tried to intervene. Later, nearly a dozen policemen sustained minor injuries in trying to control the stone pelting.

Circle Officer (Soraon), Lal Pratap Singh, who was accompanying the procession along with Verma, said: “It appeared that the argument was picked up intentionally to disturb peace. The procession had almost passed the Hanuman chauraha when it all started. There was no looting. One shop belonging to Javvar Ansari, a cloth merchant, had caught fire. But it was minor in nature.”

I G Dalgit Singh said that Saturday’s incident appeared to have a clear connection with the Sunday’s violence.

Talking to The Indian Express, Maurya alleged that only people from one community had been arrested and also those arrested have had no role in the violence. “Some of them have been local BJP leaders. The police should not act in a partisan manner. Moreover, some temple was also stoned at the spot. We have been assured that the administration will take care of it within 72 hours,” he said.