Violent altercation between rival factions of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) saw the police taking into custody the party chief Kashi Singh Airy and Trivendra Singh Panwar who was re-elected the party chief by his faction on Thursday.
The two party leaders were taken into custody along with some of their supporters after the police pushed them out of the party office. The party office was sealed by the police on a day which saw the two factions clashing with each other in a display which exposed the state of the party which was once the only regional party in the State that had played an instrumental role in facilitating the creation of Uttarakhand.
While Airy was recently elected the party chief by his faction, the faction led by Panwar has refused to consider his election valid and both the factions have been accusing each other of being unconstitutionally formed.
On Thursday, the Panwar faction re-elected him to the post of party chief on the concluding day of their biennial convention in Dehradun. Following this, Panwar and his supporters reached the party office and tried to occupy it which resulting in both the factions clashing with each other.
Airy faction leader BD Raturi alleged that Panwar's supporters, some of them drunk, barged into the compound and tried to forcibly occupy the office. Panwar faction general secretary Manmohan lakhera said that they had gone to the office in a peaceful and non-violent manner but were manhandled by members of the rival faction. Superintendent of Police (City) Jagdish Chandra said that Panwar and his supporters tried to occupy the office which resulted in a clash.
Both Airy and Panwar were taken into custody by the police along with their supporters after violent clashes which saw the police pushing out Panwar and his supporters out of the office which was sealed. Circle Officer HC Sati said that Panwar and his 41 supporters along with Airy and his 21 supporters had been taken into custody. Cases had been booked against them under section 151 of CrPC.
The incident on Thursday has exposed the bitter fight between rival factions in UKD at a time when the party was conspicuous by its absence in the public platform in the disaster affected Uttarakhand State.
leaders of both the factions were seen to make token demands and statements ranging from plan to draft a vision document by the Airy faction and demand for President's rule in the State by the Panwar faction, both almost a month after the disaster occurred.