Laddoos for b?day bash trigger clash
A GROUP of Vidyant College students went on the rampage, vandalising a local sweet shop and robbing cash from the shopowner on Wednesday morning. Later, the traders got together and chased the students away. The students got angry when the shopkeeper refused to oblige them with 35 kgs of laddoos free of charge to mark the birthday of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
A GROUP of Vidyant College students went on the rampage, vandalising a local sweet shop and robbing cash from the shopowner on Wednesday morning. Later, the traders got together and chased the students away. The students got angry when the shopkeeper refused to oblige them with 35 kgs of laddoos free of charge to mark the birthday of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Significantly, the shop (Madhurima Sweets) is located in front of the Aminabad Police Station but it took about an hour for the cops to move out and act.
Losing all hope getting help from the police, a group of traders fought a pitched battle with the unruly students forcing them to run for cover. Shops on Shriram Road, Aminabad and La Touche Road markets remained closed till evening in protest against the incident.
A case of dacoity has been registered against eight identified students and 20 others and one of the accused—-a BA Ist year student was arrested late in the evening. The sequence of events began around 10.20 am when a group of about 10 students reached Madhurima Sweets’ shop at Shriram Road. They asked shopowner Jagesh Prasad Gupta for about 35 kgs of laddoos to be distributed on the occasion of CM’s birthday. Gupta took the order and asked them to pay the amount first.
The group of youths got angry and started hurling expletives at Gupta for defying strength of the students while asking for the money. A few students even threw sweets on the road and dragged Gupta out of his shop. Meanwhile, the staff in the shop came ahead to their boss’ rescue and forced the youths to go away.
Gupta heaved a sigh of relief when a mob of about 50 students armed with rods, sticks and country-made firearms raided the shop merely after 10 minutes. The group of agitated students engaged in damaging the belongings in the shop and assaulting Gupta and his employees. It was a free-for-all situation there as the unruly group threw the goods out on the road. Neighbourhood traders even ran to the nearby police station but they could not find the SHO or any sub-inspector there.
The staff of three policemen in the office refused to attend the complaint.
The rowdy students collected Rs 2500 from the drawer while others picked up two LPG cylinders before fleeing the scene.
Soon the traders from nearby markets gathered at Madhurima shop and they all walked to the Vidyant College. The angry mob of shopkeepers was tearing off the posters of student leaders when the group of students started pelting stones on the traders.
Both the groups engaged in a clash when the cops arrived there and intervened into the matter.
The rowdy students collected Rs 2500 from the drawer while others picked up two LPG cylinders before fleeing the scene.
