Locals, kanwariyas clash in UP, security up: Police

We are trying to recreate the sequence of events to find out who started it [the clash], said police

Security was stepped up in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly city after a group of kanwariyas were allegedly pelted with stones, leading to a clash between two groups on Sunday, police officers familiar with the matter said.

Police said the pilgrims were on their way to Budaun to get water from the Ganga river when the incident occurred near a “religious spot” (Representative photo)

Police said the pilgrims were on their way to Budaun to get water from the Ganga river when the incident occurred near a “religious spot.”

“A kanwar procession was passing through the area at around 3pm. As it went past a religious spot, there was a dispute over the throwing of something), and when it moved 40-50 metres ahead, stones were pelted by some people on the kanwars. When the footage was examined, it was seen that stones were hurled from both sides,” senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary said in a statement.

Chaudhary said police deployment was heightened in the area, and the law-and-order situation was brought under control.

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

Uttar Pradesh minister Arun Kumar, who is also the MLA from Bareilly, said that some “unwanted elements” want to create tension in the state and spoil the atmosphere. “Hence, an impartial probe will be conducted, and those found guilty will be given strict punishment,” he said.