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Prabhat Pheri in Budaun village: Daily procession taken out peacefully under police watch
A Prabhat Pheri in Byaur Qasimabad proceeded peacefully after tensions arose when police initially stopped it, leading to protests. Police ensured safety.
A Prabhat Pheri was taken out peacefully on Saturday morning in village Byaur Qasimabad, located under the Islamnagar police station area of Budaun district, amid heavy police deployment. The presence of police force became necessary following tensions that erupted a day earlier when the event was stopped by the local police, triggering protests and allegations of excesses.
Officials said that the responsibility of ensuring a peaceful Prabhat Pheri was assigned by Brijesh Kumar Singh, senior superintendent of police (SSP), to Harendra Singh, inspector, Civil Lines and Rishipal Singh, inspector, Ughaiti, both of whom had previously served as station house officers. Police personnel were deployed across the village to prevent any untoward incident.
The situation had turned tense on Friday morning when Sanjeev Kumar, circle officer (CO), Bilsi, and Naresh Singh, station house officer, Islamnagar, stopped the Prabhat Pheri, citing the route as disputed, and did so with a heavy police force. The move led to widespread resentment among villagers.
By around 1 pm, members of the Bajrang Dal and several other Hindu organisations reached the village and raised slogans against the police. Protesters later surrounded the police station and staged a sit-in, accusing the police of deliberately terming the route contentious and resorting to a baton charge on participants.
Facing mounting pressure, the police administration later allowed the Prabhat Pheri to proceed, following which the situation was brought under control.
In the aftermath of Friday’s incident, Brijesh Kumar Singh, SSP, intervened and reassigned the responsibility to senior inspectors to ensure that the procession was conducted in a peaceful manner. On Saturday, the Prabhat Pheri passed through the village without any disruption, with police maintaining a close watch throughout.
Villagers alleged that although the village has a nearly 70% Muslim population, no such objection or confrontation had ever arisen from the community regarding the Prabhat Pheri. They claimed that the actions taken on Friday reflected the mindset of the police rather than any communal issue. The villagers have demanded strict action against the police personnel who stopped the procession earlier.
The SSP said that police deployment will continue for monitoring purposes and asserted that there is now no dispute related to the Prabhat Pheri.
