On Sunday, a clash occurred between the two communities during immersion of the Devi Durga idol in Rehua Mansoor village in the Hardi police station area of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, following Muslims objected to DJ music being played in the procession.
However, a Hindu man was killed as the Islamists opened fire at him during the clash, while many others were injured reportedly by stone-pelting. The deceased has been recognised as a 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, who was part of the idol immersion group. Vrinda Shukla, Superintendent of Police said that the violence happened after a person from the Hindu community was shot during an argument. She said, ‘Today, when a procession was passing by a mosque through a Muslim area in the Maharajganj area of Mahasi, the two communities argued over some issue’.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Bahraich SP Vrinda Shukla says, "Mahasi's Maharajganj area a procession was passing by a Masjid through a Muslim area. The groups argued on some issues…A person from the Hindu community died after bullets were fired on him…At various places, Visarjan… https://t.co/IfH76uNpTK pic.twitter.com/jUWNXr0ZRH
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 14, 2024
Some individuals started creating chaos during the argument. One member of the Hindu community was shot and later died. Tension occurred in the region, and the Visarjan ceremony was stopped at many locations. Some miscreants took advantage of the situation and tried to create further chaos.”
SP Shukla added, ‘The police swiftly swung into action and controlled the situation. The Visarjan at many places was resumed. Additional police personnel were deployed with all Visarjan processions. The police carried out video recording at the locations where violence occurred, and the miscreants are being identified. Thirty people have been arrested in connection with the Maharajganj incident, where a person was shot dead. An FIR has been registered in the matter. The search for the main accused, who is absconding, has been traced, and teams have been deployed to arrest him’.
Eyewitnesses of the Bahraich incident alleged that a Hindu man was killed while the police were dispersing Hindus using a lathi charge. One of the eyewitnesses said, ‘At the intersection outside Maharajganj, stones were pelted at the idol and the stone pelting came from Abdul Hameed’s house. After the stone-pelting, when we arrived there, we demanded the arrest of those responsible from the authorities’.
He added, ‘There was chaos during the lathi charge. In that chaos, the family members of Abdul Hameed dragged him inside their house and shot him. This is a matter under the jurisdiction of Hardi police station, and Hardi police station is 100% responsible for this incident. Had they wanted to, they could have deployed security personnel in front of Abdul Hameed’s house, arrested the culprits, and calmed the situation. Instead of arresting them, they lathi-charged us. Mishra was set to marry in four months’.
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