Lucknow: Arson and unrest, which gripped Uttar Pradesh on Thursday amid the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests, has not only continued for the third day, but spread to more areas including the industrial city of Kanpur, Amroha and Rampur on Saturday as rioters torched more police posts, vehicles, indulged in stone-pelting and even resorted to gunfire as cops ran for cover in many places.
Over 16 persons have been killed in the last 72 hours in violent clashes and gunfire in Muslim-dominated areas across 20 districts, as per official figures. Maximum deaths were reported in Meerut (5) followed by Bijnor (3).
This includes an eight-year-old, who as per officials, was killed in a stampede in Varanasi when a violent mob was being chased by police personnel. The cause of death for the rest would be known only after a post-mortem on the victims, officials said.
Such is the chaos in the state that over 260 police personnel have also been injured in violence of which 57 had bullet injuries, claims police chief OP Singh, although he continues to maintain that not a single bullet was fired by the force.
The large-scale attack on cops despite presence of heavy police force and Section 144 of CrPC being in force, not only exposes tall claims made by the police officials that “everything is under control”, but also indicates how helpless and clueless the state police are in handling the situation.
The state government, which has been patting it's back for handling of the situation during Ayodhya verdict which was anyway hardly an issue even for Hindu community, has flunked in its first major test on law and order, say observers. A Lucknow University student said, "There is no clarity when things will come under control. When will schools, colleges and universities actually open and when will internet services be restored. Most exams have been cancelled keeping us in confusion."
Even shutdown of educational institutions and internet services hasn't helped contain the unrest.