Clashes over a land dispute in West UP claims three lives, Rajnath calls up Akhilesh
Lucknow
In a barrage of fresh trouble for the Akhilesh government, clashes over a land dispute in Saharanpur on Saturday took three lives amidst day-long rioting, arson followed by curfew. The administration already beleaguered with the protest marches by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress in nearby Moradabad, was on tenterhooks, totally clueless on dealing with the situation. But when a worried Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, he assured him that the situation would be contained soon
A gurudwara and a Muslim burial ground are located close by in Kutubsher locality near Ambala road in Saharanpur. Trouble started early on Saturday morning when members of one community started construction of a wall in Kutubsher to which members of the other community objected. In the absence of mediation efforts by the administration or community elders, the situation soon turned ugly and there was heavy brick batting from both sides. Groups of people set fire to shops, buildings and vehicles in different areas and there were reports of firing from both sides.
Though police reached the spot quickly, their presence did not deter the angry rioters. Trouble spread to other areas of Saharanpur and soon the administration clamped curfew in the entire city. Two persons, including a trader, were killed in clashes and several others including policemen were injured and rushed to hospital. Unconfirmed reports said an injured PAC constable later died in hospital.
Traffic on the national highway connecting Ambala was thrown out of gear as the protesters went on the rampage. More than 100 shops and buildings on Ambala road, including the fire brigade station, several buses, trucks and vans were set on fire. Cases of arson and looting of shops were being reported from Noor Basti, Revala Market and adjoining areas. Policemen were told to shoot trouble-makers on sight and according to unconfirmed reports troops had been called from Roorkee to help in case of further trouble.
All educational institutions have been closed till further orders. Saharanpur division commissioner Tanveer Zafar Ali was quoted as saying that ban orders were in force in the district and curfew had been clamped in six localities. Tension prevailed throughout the district and a large contingent of security personnel including those of police, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) had been deployed in the area and paramilitary forces had also been called.
Reports from Saharanpur said BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal alleged the trouble was instigated by leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi Party.
In Lucknow, state Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said the district administration had been directed not to allow breach of peace at any cost. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukul Goel said adequate force had been deployed to control the situation. An official spokesman said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had directed senior home department officials to strictly handle the situation in Saharanpur and Moradabad and had directed principal secretary (home) to deal with the Saharanpur situation strictly.
In Moradabad, the police sealed all roads leading to Moradabad to prevent both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress workers. The police stopped the peace march by the Congress and took into custody several leaders including Madhusudan Mistry, UPCC president Nirmal Khatri and actor-turned-politician Nagma.
At least 40 BJP leade[one_fourth last=”no”][/one_fourth][one_fourth last=”no”][/one_fourth]rs, including Uttar Pradesh state president Laxmikant Bajpai, sat on protest outside the residence of the district magistrate protesting against the loudspeaker controversy in Kanth. More than 2000 personnel of the police, PAC and SSB were deployed in the area. The BJP had refused to back out of its proposed protest against district officials. The protest was led by BJP MLA Sangeet Som. BJP MLA Suresh Rana, MPs Satyapal Saini, Yashwant Singh, Sarvesh Kumar, Rajendra Agarwal and Nepal Singh were reportedly detained by police.
On Friday, the police had stopped VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi who wanted to proceed to Kaanth to perform a ritual at the Shiva temple there which was at the centre of a clash last month over the alleged forcible removal of a loudspeaker. The Jatavs had protested against the removal of the loudspeaker and wanted it to be reinstalled.
