Eighteen people were injured when protesters returning from the Ulema Council's Lucknow rally got into a fight with villagers from another community in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
The incident took place near Siyarahan and Jaigahan villages under Kandharpur and Billariaganj police station areas of Azamgarh.
There had been problems between the two parties since Thursday evening, when some villagers had pelted stones at a bus taking the protesters from Billariaganj to Azamgarh to catch a special train to Lucknow for the rally. On Saturday, five buses with the protesters on board were returning from the rally when they were attacked mid-way. Some of them, however, got out and cornered the attackers at a brick kiln.
Soon, a police team was rushed to the spot and it dispersed the mob.
Ulema Council convener Maulana Amir Rashdi Madani said, “The buses were attacked by the villagers in a pre-planned manner.” He, however, denied the protesters had targeted the brick kiln.