As the communal violence in Gorakhpur mounts and spread to the neighbouring districts, the State Government on Monday removed District Magistrate Hari Om and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raja Srivastava.
Sitapur DM Rakesh Goel and Special Task Force SSP SK Bhagat have taken charge after their predecessors were suspended over the violence, which broke out on Saturday. Three other police officers were also suspended.
The trouble, which started in a marriage procession and developed into a clash between two communities, comes ahead of state elections.
The governing Samajwadi Party accused the oppostion BJP of inciting it and arrested its controversial MP Yogi Avaidyanath when he staged a procession on Sunday.
Curfew was imposed in Rajghat, Kotwali and Tewaripur when violence broke out on Saturday. One person was killed in the clashes on Saturday night. Several parts of Gorakhpur are still under curfew and a high alert has been ordered in neighbouring towns.