Communal tension prevailed in Bahraich after two groups clashed over a puja pandal set up to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, leaving half a dozen women injured.
The situation could be controlled only after a heavy police force reached the spot.
A case was registered and three women were taken into custody.
As per reports, members of two communities at Nanpara locality of Bahraich had a dispute over setting up a puja pandal for celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. One of the groups opposed the pandal claiming that the area would be used to take out a procession during Moharram.
The other community was, however, adamant maintaining that both communities should be able to perform their religious functions.
On Tuesday morning, sub-divisional magistrate of Nanpara, Siddharth Yadav, and circle officer VP Singh summoned both parties and asked them to reach a compromise so that both functions could be held peacefully.
However, on Tuesday evening, the situation took an ugly turn when members of a community started putting up barricades at the demarcated site for celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi without any hurdle.
In the meantime, Munni Begum of Nai Basti locality of Nanpara reached there and objected. She hurled abuses after which two policemen deployed at the spot forced her to leave the spot.
However, Munni Begum returned soon, accompanied by dozens of other members, identified as Annu Begum, Bibi Begum, Munda Begum, Salman, Razzan, Shahnawaz, Akram, Zaved, Harun, and others, and they attacked the other group leaving Santosh, Manju Devi, Neelu, Ragini, Meera, Bhagyarani and Sanjay with serious injuries.
It was only when senior officers rushed to the spot with additional force that the troublemakers left the spot.
Later, Moharram committee in-charge, Naseem Chaudhary, and Ganesh Puja Committee head Deepak Srivastava confirmed that Munni Begum created the entire trouble. A case was registered against her and a heavy police force was deployed to avert fresh trouble.
Meanwhile in Gonda, three kanwariyas drowned in the Kuano river on Wednesday morning.
The deceased were identified as Himanshu (14), Shekhar Shukla (13) and Vikas Kumar (14)
On Monday morning, the victims along with their two friends went to the Kuano river to get some water for jalabhishek and slipped into deep waters.
The locals tried to save the youngsters but by that time they had drowned.
The bodies were sent for autopsy.
Elsewhere in Rae Bareli, a woman and her son died in a stove blast while her husband was injured.
As per reports, Sudhir lived with his family in Devanandpur hamlet of Mill Area in Rae Bareli. On Wednesday morning, Sudhir's wife Malti was cooking food on a kerosene stove when it exploded, critically injuring her and her 3-year-old son Prince.
As the two caught fire, Sudhir rushed to their rescue and suffered burns in the process.
All the three were rushed to district hospital where Malti and Prince succumbed to their injuries in the afternoon.
The locals staged a protest as the treatment of the victims was delayed by an hour due to absence of stretcher in the hospital.
A case was registered and the bodies were sent for autopsy.