Tension gripped the Parampurva area in Kanpur district after six persons were injured on 1 October, in a clash during a Muharram procession that saw members of two communities throwing bricks at each other and setting vehicles on fire.
According to Alok Singh, the Inspector General of Police in Kanpur, the incident occurred when the procession deviated from its fixed route, resulting in perturbed commuters throwing stones at the bus in Parampurva.
Two cars and four motorcycles were set ablaze during the clash, he said. Police resorted to baton-charge to control the situation, the IG said.
Four companies (around 400 personnel) of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and a company of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the area to maintain peace.
A senior official in Lucknow said the situation was being closely monitored. A similar incident happened in Rawatpur village in the district, but it was nipped in the bud.
Ballia
In a separate incident, in Ballia, nearly half-a-dozen people were injured after members of two communities clashed over a petty dispute related to children in the Sikandarpur area.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening at a Durga Puja fair, District Magistrate Surendra Vikram said. A minor quarrel between two children took an ugly turn after their parents and members of the two communities got involved.
The DM stated that the police reached the spot and controlled the situation.
Agra
In Agra, a case has been registered against 60 people affiliated to Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal under the Arms Act after they fired in the open near the Ramlila Maida of the area and also made inflamatory remarks targeting the minority community, the Hindustan Times reported.
They also reportedly raised slogans in favour of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Members of the ultra-right wings, however, begged to differ claiming that it did not violate the law as it was a part of ‘shashtra pagan’ (weapon worship) within the temple complex.
Jamui
In Bihar’s Jamui area, a nine-year-old boy was injured in an incident of stone pelting during an idol immersion procession on Saturday. In relataliation, some people from the Hindu community attacked a Muharram procession in Masaurhi Chowk on Sunday, Times of India reported.
Quoting SDPO Nisar Ahmed, TOI reported that the stone pelting was being carried out from terraces of a few houses. The Sashastra Seema Bal and Special Task Force personnel have been deployed on the area, and the administration had to put a hold on both idol immersion and Muharram procession.
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