Communal tension again flared up in Muzaffarnagar after members of a community attacked the other, killing a youth and critically injuring half a dozen others on Monday night. The incident took place over a trivia even as the police and locals struggled to resolve the issue on Monday afternoon. While two accused were arrested, SSP, Muzaffarnagar, Anant Deo Tewari said that over two dozen others had been detained for breach of peace.
Heavy police force along with Rapid Action Force and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel were deployed in the area after fresh violence took place on Tuesday afternoon.
In 2013, Muzaffarnagar had witnessed a communal riot in which 62 people were killed and over 50,000 people were rendered homeless.
As per reports, Shahzad of Nai Mandi area had a tiff with his neighbour Brijpal over disposal of waste water on Monday afternoon. Before the issue could turn violent, some senior citizens and local pradhan intervened and held a panchayat under the supervision of local police to resolve it.
The two parties agreed to resolve the matter amicably and returned to their homes. But later in the night, the isssue took a violent turn when Shahzad, his kin including Sajid, Dhola, Kadir, Yaseen etc and some aides suddenly attacked Brijpal’s house and opened fire.
While some other residents rushed to help Brijpal, four persons, including Brijpal and his son Akash (21), were injured in the firing. The situation could be controlled only after the police reached the spot. later the police managed to nab two of the attackers — Dhola and Yaseen — and some other troublemakers.
The cops also rushed the injured to the district hospital from where Akash was referred to Meerut but he died on his way. Assessing the simmering tension, the local police camped throughout Monday night.
As soon as the body of Akash reached his village on Tuesday afternoon, the situation again went out of control. The irked villagers torched the tractor of the accused and also tried to ransack their house. later both communities fought a pitched battle before para-military force was summoned to chase them away. Heavy police force is patrolling in the area but situation was still tense when reports last came in.
Meanwhile, tension also prevailed in the Taj City on Monday night after a BJP leader was shot dead and the latter’s suporters lynched one of the suspects and torched a police outpost, three vehicles, including a dial 100 Police Response Vehicle. Violence erupted after three unidentified gunmen sprayed BJP leader Nathuram Verma with six bullets at Mehra Naharganj village on Yamuna banks on Monday night.
The police said that Verma was going to meet former pradhan Samar Singh to resolve a dispute when he was intercepted and shot by the assailants. After the incident, locals set three vehicles on fire, including a police car and a police outpost, when the police came to recover Verma’s body.
later, irate supporters of the BJP leader caught hold of two brothers, former pradhan Samar Singh and Sudhir, and beat them black and blue in which Sudhir succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Heavy police force was requistioned to control the violence. SSP Dinesh Chandra Dubey and DM Gaurav Dayal visited the village to review the situation.