Reacting strongly to the communal violence in Kasganj, the state government shunted out SP Sunil Kumar Singh and replaced him with Piyush Srivastava on Monday morning.
Singh was packed off as Commandant of Police Training School in Meerut in place of Srivastava.
Confirming this on Monday evening, IG (Public Grievances) Vijay Singh Meena said during a briefing that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe all five cases registered in connection with the violence in Kasganj. He also informed that the police had arrested 125 persons till date and more would be held soon.
Meena said that ADG and and IG rank officers were camping at Kasganj and no fresh violence was reported in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile reports said that a journalist of a TV channel was threatened by some Hindu activists for showing the facts of Friday’s violence. What is more, the trouble makers also warned the scribe of kidnapping his daughter.
The matter was brought to the notice of the state government and mobile numbers of the callers were also given but so far only a case was registered and no arrests were made.
On Friday last, Kasganj was witness to communal violence and a dozen business establishments and vehicles were torched by a mob after a youth was killed in a clash. The clash started when some local youths took out a Rs Tiranga Yatra’ on Republic Day and were opposed by another group that sparked violence.
The local administration had to enforce undeclared curfew to defuse the situation but stray incidents of violence continued forl about 48-hours till Sunday.
Meanwhille, an FIR was registered against state secretary of Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) Narendra Tomar on Sunday, for making objectionable comment against a particular community during Tiranga Yatra at Budhana town in Muzaffarnagar on Republic Day. However, no further action has been initiated in the matter.
On Monday, DGP OP Singh issued a circular to all district police chiefs asking them to take necessary preventive steps to avert any communal violence. He directed that mischief mongers be identified and bound down and meetings of peace committees be held to maintain cordial atmosphere in the society.
The DGP instructed that festival and other registers of police stations be checked and it be ensured that no new tradition be started which could spell trouble for law enforcers in form of communal or any violence as witnessed in Kasganj.