Barely an hour before the visit of the Prime Minister and the President's arrival in the city, two communities clashed in Kanpur on Friday.
The incident occurred when members of the minority community came out on the streets in the Bekanganj locality of Kanpur to protest against the derogatory remarks made against the prophet by a BJP Spokesperson during a TV debate.
According to police officials, after Friday prayers, a large number of people came out on the road and started shouting slogans demanding action against the leader who had made remarks against the prophet.
During the protest, few people forced shopkeepers to close their establishments. When opposed, the irate mob started pelting stones.
Over a dozen persons got injured during the stone-pelting incident that went on for hours. Four of them were seriously injured and were rushed to the hospital.
A few hundred metres away from Bekanganj where the incident occurred, a program of President Ramnath Kovind and PM Modi was scheduled at Porikh village. Most of the Kanpur police personnel Kanpur were deployed at the President and Prime Minister's program site.
However, soon after coming to know about the clash, additional forces were rushed to the spot.
The Additional Director General (ADG) Law & Order, Prashant Kumar informed that the situation was brought under control soon and a few miscreants who tried to disturb peace were nabbed. Senior officials have been camping in Bekanganj, Kanpur to look into the matter.
