Saharanpur violence over Ambedkar rally: 2 FIRs lodged against BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal
Two cases were registered against BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma and a dozen others in connection with violence between two communities on Thursday during a rally to mark Ambedkar Jayanti at Sadak Dudhali village.
In Short
- According to the FIRs, MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma was present at both spots of violence.
- There have been no arrests made in this case yet.
- The situation in Saharanpur is under control after a heavy deployment of police force.
Two FIRs have been registered against BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma and several others in connection with two cases of violence in Saharanpur's Janakpuri.
According to police, about 300 unidentified people were involved in the clashes. The efforts are on to identify the rioters, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Love Kumar said, "A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against over 300 people in connection with stone pelting by members of two communities on Thursday during a rally to mark Ambedkar Jayanti at Sadak Dudhali village."
LIST OF CHARGES
They were booked under IPC Section 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), Section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and Section 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) among others.
The second FIR was lodged in connection with the protest outside the SSP's house in which a CCTV camera was damaged and his "nameplate removed", Kumar said.
He added that charges in the second FIR were similar to those in the first.
The SSP said, "According to both the FIRs, local MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma was present at both the spots."
However, no arrest has been made in the cases yet. The situation in the area is under control and heavy police force deployment has been made in the sensitive areas to prevent occurrence of any untoward incident.
PROTEST OVER AMBEDKAR RALLY
Members of a community had allegedly objected to the rally that was taken out on Thursday to mark BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary in Sadak Dudhali village and started pelting people in the rally with stones in protest.
MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma and SSP Kumar were among the several people who suffered injuries in the stone pelting. Some other cops were also injured.
After this, more police force reached the spot and pacified both the groups.
BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal, along with his supporters, reached outside the SSP's official residence demanding that the rally be allowed to take place. Lakhanpal also demanded suspension of the SSP.
The protesters damaged a CCTV camera outside the SSP's residence. Police force was deployed at SSP's residence to bring the situation under control.
The SSP said that permission for the rally was not given by the administration.
(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)
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