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Tension brews in Bareilly: Dist admn refuses permission to Kanwar Yatra, security upped
Senior police officials said that Bareilly has always been a sensitive area during the Hindu holy month of Sawan that often coincides with the Islamic month of Muharram
The Bareilly district administration has denied permission for a Kanwar Yatra in Jogi Nawada locality on August 6 in the wake of the clash between Kanwariyas and the Muslim community in Bareilly on July 30 and amidst brewing communal tension for over 15 days, senior police and administrative officials said.
Bareilly additional city magistrate (ACM), N Ram, told the media that permission to take out Kanwar Yatra from Jogi Nawada to Vankhandi temple by Mahant Rakesh Kashyap and Aarendra Maurya at around 1 pm on Sunday (August 6) had been denied. A local intelligence unit report, apprehending trouble along the route traditionally used by the Kanwariyas, was taken into account, he said.
The police have intensified vigil and security measures have been upped in the region apprehending fresh trouble in the city. Police and administrative officials are holding meetings with senior people from both communities to maintain peace and law and order amidst rumours that some people are preparing to take out a Kanwar Yatra despite permission being refused for it.
Senior police officials said that Bareilly has always been a sensitive area during the Hindu holy month of Sawan that often coincides with the Islamic month of Muharram.
Bareilly superintendent of police (SP), Rahul Bhati, said the police and administration are on high alert and nobody will be allowed to disturb law and order. He said the Rapid Action Force and Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel are camping in the troubled locality and barriers have been put up to check crowd movement. He said the police are keeping an eye on every movement.
On July 30, a group Kanwariyas clashed with the Muslim community while passing through a narrow stretch of Jogi Nawada. The police had resorted to cane-charge the people involved in the clash after which the Kanwar Yatra was disrupted and cancelled.
Bareilly senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prabhakar Chowdhary was shunted from his post hours after he ordered a cane charge on Kanwariyas and other people causing trouble while some other lower rung cops were placed under suspension. Chowdhary was shifted as Commandant of 32nd battalion of PAC in Lucknow and Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan replaced him as SSP Bareilly.
Earlier, Kanwariya groups were pelted with stones near a mosque in the Jogi Nawada locality on July 23. Some people received minor injuries, but a major clash was averted.
According to reports, the kanwariyas were on their way to Badaun to get water from the Ganga when they were pelted with stones near the Shahnoori mosque around 3 pm. Kanwariyas groups were to perform Jalabhishek at the Vankandinath temple located barely 400 meters away from the spot.
Meanwhile, a local cop suggested that the July 23 incident was the fallout of the July 19 night incident in which a teenage boy belonging to a minority community was caught and thrashed for throwing stones at kanwariyas in the Shergarh area of Bareilly.
