40 injured, 30 vehicles torched in mob violence

Lucknow: As many as 30 vehicles were set afire and more than 100 were damaged when a mob went on the rampage around high court and district court premises on Wednesday noon. At least 40 persons that included 17 police personnel, advocates, health department employees and ordinary citizens were left injured. Later, an FIR was lodged against an "unidentified group of lawyers."
The ripple effect of the incident was felt in many parts of the city as traffic was thrown out of gear for around five hours.Police could bring the situation under control only by 5 pm, but extensive damage was done by then. The sight on the stretch resembled a riot torn area - roads around high court were covered with burnt tyres, broken windows and shreds of glasses of damaged four-wheelers, marks of bricks and stones on streets, smoke billowing out of health directorate building, fire fighters struggling to douse flames, vandalized traffic police booths and smoldering hoardings.
The incident occurred after lawyers associated with Oudh Bar Association announced to boycott work at around 11 am, protesting against the murder of an advocate, Sharawan Verma on Tuesday night in Ganeshganj locality.
Some lawyers also took to streets raising anti-government and administration slogans. Around 11.30 pm, district magistrate and senior superintendent of police met Oudh Bar Association office-bearers and assured Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to Kumar's family.
However, situation suddenly took an ugly turn when more people descended on the streets around noon and blocked the busy Mahatma Gandhi Marg. For an hour, the mob damaged and set vehicles on fire. Two UPSRTC buses parked near the health directorate building adjacent to the high court were also set afire. It led to a clash between the mob and health directorate employees who retaliated fearing that the fire may also engulf portion of their building. Heavy brick batting took place for nearly 30 minutes.
People stuck for hours in the area had a scary time. Eyewitnesses told media persons that some hoodlums also threw petrol bombs.
Reena Singh, a native of Hardoi was in the city for shopping. She got stuck at Rana Pratap Marg near CDRI building in a sedan. Police had put up barricades and no movement was allowed between CDRI building and Daliganj bridge. "I saw mob pelting stones at us. Police hardly acted and asked us to turn back," said Singh who wanted to head towards Hardoi road via Chowk.
A heavy posse of PAC arrived around 3 pm and cane charged the rioting mob. It took around two more hours to control the situation. By then, 20 motorcycles and 10 four-wheelers were set on fire. Seven cameramen and video journalists were injured, four cameras of scribes covering the event were damaged and more than 100 motor vehicles were damaged.
Three air conditioners and a computer of health directorate was also damaged.
Two FIRs were registered against unidentified group of 150 - 200 lawyers at Wazirganj police station under sections amounting to arson, rioting, causing mischief, deterring government servant from discharging duties, damage to public and government property, among others. CRPF company commander Jagram Yadav and UPSRTC staff Naseem had forwarded complaints to city police.
Traffic could be normalised by 5pm. However, during this period, besides hundreds of vehicles, several ambulances and school children were seen stranded on the roads.
Later, president, Central Bar Association, Mrigendra Pandey, blamed the health directorate employees of resorting to unprovoked stone pelting on lawyers.
However, general secretary of the UP Health Directorate Employees Association, Avinash Srivastava rubbished the accusation, saying "The mob had set a bus on fire and the flames could have spread to the vehicles around it. Therefore, we started water hydrants to douse the fire. On this, they told us to keep away and mind our own business. But in general interest we continued our efforts which annoyed the protesters and they barged into our campus to took out their ire on government and private vehicles parked." He also said at least 50 health employees were injured. Mob, he alleged, also threw petrol bombs inside the building but the security staff had locked the channel gate.
Police could bring the situation under control only by 5 pm, but extensive damage was done by then. The sight on the stretch resembled a riot torn area - roads around high court were covered with burnt tyres, broken windows and shreds of glasses of damaged four-wheelers, marks of bricks and stones on streets, smoke billowing out of health directorate building, fire fighters struggling to douse flames, vandalized traffic police booths and smoldering hoardings.
The incident occurred after lawyers associated with Oudh Bar Association announced to boycott work at around 11 am, protesting against the murder of an advocate, Sharawan Verma on Tuesday night in Ganeshganj locality.
Some lawyers also took to streets raising anti-government and administration slogans. Around 11.30 pm, district magistrate and senior superintendent of police met Oudh Bar Association office-bearers and assured Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to Kumar's family.
However, situation suddenly took an ugly turn when more people descended on the streets around noon and blocked the busy Mahatma Gandhi Marg. For an hour, the mob damaged and set vehicles on fire. Two UPSRTC buses parked near the health directorate building adjacent to the high court were also set afire. It led to a clash between the mob and health directorate employees who retaliated fearing that the fire may also engulf portion of their building. Heavy brick batting took place for nearly 30 minutes.
People stuck for hours in the area had a scary time. Eyewitnesses told media persons that some hoodlums also threw petrol bombs.
Reena Singh, a native of Hardoi was in the city for shopping. She got stuck at Rana Pratap Marg near CDRI building in a sedan. Police had put up barricades and no movement was allowed between CDRI building and Daliganj bridge. "I saw mob pelting stones at us. Police hardly acted and asked us to turn back," said Singh who wanted to head towards Hardoi road via Chowk.
A heavy posse of PAC arrived around 3 pm and cane charged the rioting mob. It took around two more hours to control the situation. By then, 20 motorcycles and 10 four-wheelers were set on fire. Seven cameramen and video journalists were injured, four cameras of scribes covering the event were damaged and more than 100 motor vehicles were damaged.
Three air conditioners and a computer of health directorate was also damaged.
Two FIRs were registered against unidentified group of 150 - 200 lawyers at Wazirganj police station under sections amounting to arson, rioting, causing mischief, deterring government servant from discharging duties, damage to public and government property, among others. CRPF company commander Jagram Yadav and UPSRTC staff Naseem had forwarded complaints to city police.
Traffic could be normalised by 5pm. However, during this period, besides hundreds of vehicles, several ambulances and school children were seen stranded on the roads.
Later, president, Central Bar Association, Mrigendra Pandey, blamed the health directorate employees of resorting to unprovoked stone pelting on lawyers.
However, general secretary of the UP Health Directorate Employees Association, Avinash Srivastava rubbished the accusation, saying "The mob had set a bus on fire and the flames could have spread to the vehicles around it. Therefore, we started water hydrants to douse the fire. On this, they told us to keep away and mind our own business. But in general interest we continued our efforts which annoyed the protesters and they barged into our campus to took out their ire on government and private vehicles parked." He also said at least 50 health employees were injured. Mob, he alleged, also threw petrol bombs inside the building but the security staff had locked the channel gateLucknow: As many as 30 vehicles were set afire and more than 100 were damaged when a mob went on a rampage around high court and district court premises on Wednesday noon. At least 40 persons that included 17 police personnel, advocates, health department employees and ordinary citizens were left injured. Later, an FIR was lodged against an "unidentified group of lawyers."
The ripple effect of the incident was felt in many parts of the city as traffic was thrown out of gear for around five hours.
Police could bring the situation under control only by 5 pm, but extensive damage was done by then. The sight on the stretch resembled a riot torn area - roads around high court were covered with burnt tyres, broken windows and shreds of glasses of damaged four-wheelers, marks of bricks and stones on streets, smoke billowing out of health directorate building, fire fighters struggling to douse flames, vandalized traffic police booths and smoldering hoardings.
The incident occurred after lawyers associated with Oudh Bar Association announced to boycott work at around 11 am, protesting against the murder of an advocate, Sharawan Verma on Tuesday night in Ganeshganj locality.
Some lawyers also took to streets raising anti-government and administration slogans. Around 11.30 pm, district magistrate and senior superintendent of police met Oudh Bar Association office-bearers and assured Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to Kumar's family.
However, situation suddenly took an ugly turn when more people descended on the streets around noon and blocked the busy Mahatma Gandhi Marg. For an hour, the mob damaged and set vehicles on fire. Two UPSRTC buses parked near the health directorate building adjacent to the high court were also set afire. It led to a clash between the mob and health directorate employees who retaliated fearing that the fire may also engulf portion of their building. Heavy brick batting took place for nearly 30 minutes.
People stuck for hours in the area had a scary time. Eyewitnesses told media persons that some hoodlums also threw petrol bombs.
Reena Singh, a native of Hardoi was in the city for shopping. She got stuck at Rana Pratap Marg near CDRI building in a sedan. Police had put up barricades and no movement was allowed between CDRI building and Daliganj bridge. "I saw mob pelting stones at us. Police hardly acted and asked us to turn back," said Singh who wanted to head towards Hardoi road via Chowk.
A heavy posse of PAC arrived around 3 pm and cane charged the rioting mob. It took around two more hours to control the situation. By then, 20 motorcycles and 10 four-wheelers were set on fire. Seven cameramen and video journalists were injured, four cameras of scribes covering the event were damaged and more than 100 motor vehicles were damaged.
Three air conditioners and a computer of health directorate was also damaged.
Two FIRs were registered against unidentified group of 150 - 200 lawyers at Wazirganj police station under sections amounting to arson, rioting, causing mischief, deterring government servant from discharging duties, damage to public and government property, among others. CRPF company commander Jagram Yadav and UPSRTC staff Naseem had forwarded complaints to city police.
Traffic could be normalised by 5pm. However, during this period, besides hundreds of vehicles, several ambulances and school children were seen stranded on the roads.
Later, president, Central Bar Association, Mrigendra Pandey, blamed the health directorate employees of resorting to unprovoked stone pelting on lawyers.
However, general secretary of the UP Health Directorate Employees Association, Avinash Srivastava rubbished the accusation, saying "The mob had set a bus on fire and the flames could have spread to the vehicles around it. Therefore, we started water hydrants to douse the fire. On this, they told us to keep away and mind our own business. But in general interest we continued our efforts which annoyed the protesters and they barged into our campus to took out their ire on government and private vehicles parked." He also said at least 50 health employees were injured. Mob, he alleged, also threw petrol bombs inside the building but the security staff had locked the channel gate