Cops avert face-off between Cong, BJP

A face-off between the BJP and Congress in communally sensitive Kanth town in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district, about 350 kilometres from here, was prevented by the administration.

Senior leaders of the both parties along with hundreds of workers were detained on their way to Kanth on Saturday to take part in their respective
agitations.

BJP had given a call for holding a demonstration at Kanth while the Congress was scheduled to hold a ‘peace march’ to what it alleged ‘expose’ the BJP.

Five BJP MPs were detained at different places while they were trying to proceed to Kanth.

The saffron party was scheduled to hold a demonstration to protest against ‘atrocities’ on its workers by local police. Police had allegedly attempted to foil the party’s plan to hold a mahapanchayat to protest forcible removal of a loudspeaker from a temple recently.

BJP MLAs Suresh Rana and Lokendra, however, managed to dodge police and reach Kanth police station. They lodged a complaint against district police chief Dharmveer Yadav accusing him of committing atrocities on BJP workers.

UP BJP chief Laxmi Kant Bajpai and several other senior leaders embarked on a dharna before the District Magistrate’s office at Moradabad after they were not allowed to proceed.

Former UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Congress general secretary Madhusudan Mistry along with hundreds of party workers were also taken into custody from different places while they were trying to go to Kanth, sources said.

The administration had on Friday foiled the plan of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and some other saffron outfits to perform ‘jalabhishek’ (offering Ganga waters to Lord Shiva) at the temple.

The borders of Moradabad district had been sealed to prevent the workers and leaders of the saffron outfits from reaching Kanth.

Security personnel in strength had been deployed to maintain order and a strict vigil was being maintained there.

Kanth had witnessed large-scale violence last month. The trouble had sparked off at Kanth after the local administration forcibly removed a loudspeaker from a temple at Akbarpur Chaidari village allegedly after complaints from members of a particular community. The saffron outfits and the BJP are demanding that the loudspeaker be re-installed at the temple.