Kasganj (UP)
Situation in Kasganj town continued to be tense on the second day following violence when a group of people burnt down two Government buses and ransacked couple of shops.
The communal violence erupted on the Republic Day during Tiranga yatra in which a youth was killed and several others were injured.
Groups of people went on a rampage in the town after the cremation of a young man killed in clashes yesterday. One group burnt down a few shops in the town’s main market, others vandalised shops at an intersection a short distance away and burnt down two buses. Sporadic incidents continued through the day leading the police use drones to keep an eye on the situation and shut down Internet in the district for a day.
Chandan Gupta, 22, had died in clashes that broke out on Friday during a “Tiranga bike rally” by activists of the RSS-backed students’ group, ABVP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Another person injured in the communal clashes, Naushad, is admitted to hospital. According to reports, both had bullet injuries.
The incidents of vandalism on Saturday – a car was torched late in the evening also – were seen as a reaction to Chandan Gupta’s death. It is, however, not clear why the police was not able to keep peace in the area. It had figured that there could be more violence and had requisitioned additional forces soon after yesterday’s round of violence.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had yesterday responded swiftly to the death of the young man and appealed to both communities to maintain peace. The police also had been ordered to deal sternly with the culprits.