Aligarh riots: Top officials axed; toll mounts

The Uttar Pradesh Government has suspended six senior police and administrative officials, including the DM and SSP, for alleged negligence.

The Uttar Pradesh Government on Friday suspended six senior police and administrative officials, including the District Magistrate and SSP, for alleged negligence during Thursday's communal violence in Aligarh, which has claimed six lives.

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The state government also set up a two-member high level committee to probe the clashes, official sources said in Lucknow.

District Magistrate RK Singh, SSP Ajay Anand, City Superintendent of Police SK Verma, Additional District Magistrate Satya Bhan, Circle Officer (City) MP Singh and an SHO were placed under suspension, they said.

Singh and Anand had been transferred earlier in the day.

Bhubaneshwar Singh will be the new District Magistrate and Akhil Kumar the new SSP.

The situation in the curfew-bound city continued to be tense while a fresh incident of brickbatting was reported in the Bhujpura locality this morning. The Rapid Action Force continued to patrol the affected areas.

The toll in the violence went up to six with the reported recovery of two more bodies on Friday but there was no official confirmation of this.

Friday prayers were offered in the mohallah mosque after an understanding reached between the district administration and leaders of the community. The Friday prayers passed off peacefully.

Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal visited the injured in the medical college college and later talked to various delegations. He did not visit the affected areas.