Kanwariyas pelted with stones in Bareilly

Locals say the kanwariyas were playing loud music while passing through the Muslim-dominated locality when they were attacked

Kanwariya groups were pelted with stones near a mosque in the Jogi Nawada locality of Bareilly city on Sunday afternoon, police officials said. While locals who witnessed the stone-pelting said six kanwariyas sustained minor injuries in the incident, the claim was refuted by police.

Stones lay bare on a street after they were pelted on Kanwariyas, in Bareilly on Sunday. (PTI)

Security arrangements have been further stepped up in the city and at Shiv temples in the region ahead of the third Monday of Shravan on July 24. Senior police officials said Bareilly has always been a sensitive area during the Hindu holy month that often coincides with the Islamic month of Muharram.

As per the reports reaching here, the kanwariyas were on their way to Budaun to get water from the Ganga when they were pelted with stones near the Shahnoori mosque around 3 pm. The locals said it was a practice among kanwariyas to perform ‘jalabhishek’ (a ritual) at the Vankandinath temple located barely 400 meters away from the spot.

The locals alleged that the kanwariyas were playing loud music while passing through the Muslim-dominated locality when they were attacked; and it was former local corporator Usman Ali and his aides who pelted stones from the roofs of the houses there.

In a statement, the SSP said: “So far, there is no information about anyone getting injured. A procession of kanwariyas was passing through the area (Jogi Nawada) around 3 pm. As it went past a religious spot, there was a dispute... stones were pelted by some persons. When the footage was examined, it was seen that stones were hurled from both the sides,” the statement added.

“We are trying to recreate the sequence of events to find out who started it. The guilty will be identified and booked for causing disturbing law and order and communal harmony,” said the SSP.

Additional district magistrate (City) RD Pandey said the situation was now normal and police personnel had been deployed in the area.

Meanwhile, a local cop suggested that the Sunday incident could be a fallout of the Wednesday 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.

The boy and two others were later booked under section 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others), 307 (attempt to murder) and 295 (damaging or destroying a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code.