Saharanpur violence: 24 arrested for rioting, meeting called to ensure peace
Police said more than a dozen cases have been registered against rioters and their number could be higher as individual victims are also approaching police to lodge their cases.
Police have lodged more than a dozen cases of rioting and arrested 24 rioters on Tuesday night after a clash between Dalits and police in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.
Meanwhile, the district administration has begun initiatives to build harmony among members of different communities especially Dalits and Thakurs who were at loggerheads since the incident in Shabbirpur village on May 5.
A Thakur youth was killed in brick-batting between members of the two communities, and in retaliation, the Thakurs torched over 20 dwellings of Dalits.
Saharanpur DM, N P Singh has convened a meeting of Dalit and Thakur leaders of all political parties on Wednesday evening to discuss the issue and revive harmony between two communities.
Singh hoped that “the meeting of leaders would help in reviving their trust for each other”.
He said 24 rioters have been arrested from different areas and raids are underway to nab the perpetrators of violence.
Saharanpur SSP, Subhash Chand Dubey said more than a dozen cases have been registered against rioters and their number could be higher as individual victims are also approaching police to lodge their cases.
Dalits went on rampage against official banned their proposed mahapanchayat, convened to demand justice over the torching of their homes in Shabbirpur. Activists and local Dalits set at least 20 vehicles and a police post on fire and thrashed passengers of buses and other passersby at different places of the district.
They also engaged in brick-batting with cops and allegedly fired from illegal weapons which resulted in injuries to at least five policemen and an ADM. The rioters also damaged the boundary wall of a Rajput Bhawan near Mallipura locality. Police then resorted to lathi-charging to disperse the mob.
Dalits claimed that more than 100 members of the community sustained injuries in lathicharge and threatened to intensify their movement against police atrocities.
Meanwhile, the state government has appointed Prabal Pratap Singh and Vidyasagar Misra as the new SP (city) and SP of rural area respectively.