The riot-like situation which has gripped Phulpur township did not happen all of a sudden. It had been on its way.
Whether it was caused due to failure of the administration to read the lurking danger or their looking the other way when rigging by members of one party was taking place which resulted in the severe beating of the husband of a corporator candidate, is a matter of investigation, but locals squarely blame cops and the election machinery for the mess. Sources said, Phulpur has a history of communal like tension erupting time and again. This situation had been cropping up in previous elections when tension gripped the area towards the end of polling in the evening.
However, despite having knowledge of the past the police and the administration failed to prevent the present riot like situation.
To add fuel to the fire the Phulpur police along with the sector magistrate Rishi Mani Upadhya (BDO Pratappur) failed to soothe the frayed tempers of the crowd which had reached the police station and was pressing for an FIR to be lodged against SP candidate Mansoor Ahmad, who had allegedly severely beaten Ram Karan Maurya, husband of Vimla Devi of the BJP.
When cops and the magistrate ordered the crowd to leave the police station and go away the people lost their cool and started pelting stones. Some of them even indulged in arson in the vicinity by setting ablaze several shops. The sector magistrate was also reportedly assaulted and the Inspector of the area suffered fracture in hand. But the situation did not contain.
Sources said, what sparked further fire was the rumour that Ram Karan Maurya who had been admitted to a nursing home in the city had died.
{{/usCountry}}Sources said, what sparked further fire was the rumour that Ram Karan Maurya who had been admitted to a nursing home in the city had died.
{{/usCountry}}People of one community went berserk and took law into their hands. Mohd Haroon, whose body was discovered early Saturday morning, had disappeared last evening.
Resident of Rahmatganj Veer Kazi he was returning home with his uncle Mohd Ayub when he was waylaid by some persons carrying rods and other blunt weapons.
Mohd Ayub ran for his life and took shelter in the house of one Shamim Ahmad Siddiqui. However, neither he nor Siddiqui cared to inform the police about what had happened with Haroon, sources said.
Had they done so probably his life could have been saved.
Sources said, the SP candidate for the post of chairman, Mansoor Ahmad, had been trying to rig the polls. But he drew a blank after getting stiff resistance at nearly all the booths. However, he found no resistance at the PWD guest house in ward nine where Maurya was severely beaten after he reportedly resisted the move to rig the polling. Cops on their part chose to remain mute spectators.
The agents who had closed the door of the polling booth after witnessing the assault outside contacted another candidate of the BJP Amar Nath Yadav on the phone.
On his part Amar Nath rushed to Maurya's aid but it was too late. Maurya was lying prostrate on the ground with injuries. Angered at the police inaction Amar Nath and his men picked up Maurya and took him to the police station for lodging the FIR.
Sources said, A Samajwadi Party MP had given impression to his partymen during an election speech prior to the polls not to be cowed down by any party. His sermon had also emboldened his partymen who ultimately went around rigging with impunity.