Several houses, shops and establishments burnt
After several hours of violence in Bahraich on Monday during which restless mobs, some armed with sticks and iron rods, roamed the streets, setting shops and houses on fire to avenge killing of a youth on Sunday, the situation was finally brought under control after ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash swung into action with a heavy police force late in the afternoon.
Waiving a pistol in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, Yash was seen chasing the rioters to control the situation.
The Bahraich police detained over three dozen people in connection with the violence that broke out in the Mahrajganj area of Mansoor village when a Durga idol immersion procession passed through there on Sunday. A youth Ram Gopal Mishra was killed, and around half a dozen people were injured in stone pelting and firing.
The police also registered a case in connection with the killing of Ram Gopal Mishra against 10 persons, including Abdul Hameed, Sarfaraz, Faheem, Sahir Khan, Nanakau, Salman and Maruf Ali, all named in the FIR.
Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took stock of the situation with the DGP Prashant Kumar and directed ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash and Home Secretary Sanjeev Gupta to rush to Bahraich and defuse the tension.
Reports from Bahraich said that on Monday morning, angry villagers armed with sticks again reached Mahsi tehsil with the body of Ram Gopal Mishra to avenge the killing of the youth. They also demanded that the houses of the accused be razed by bulldozers.
The uncontrolled crowd broke the barricading and moved towards the spot where Ram Gopal Mishra was killed. Despite the deployment of a heavy police force, it became impossible to stop the crowd.
According to information received here, the angry mob set fire to many houses, shops, a two-wheeler showroom, a hospital and vehicles of a particular community in Maharajganj area after which the police force was increased but the cops failed to control the situation.
Late Sunday night, the Hardi police station in-charge and Mahsi police out-post in-charges were suspended.
District Magistrate Monica Rani also reached the spot late at night.
Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla said that 12 bore shells were recovered during the search of the house of the accused Salman.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sureshwar Singh on Monday said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would on Tuesday meet the kin of the man who was shot dead during a Durga idol procession.
Sureshwar Singh also said the chief minister had also vowed of strict action against those responsible for the stone-pelting and shooting that took place on Sunday.
