Rail and road traffic between Delhi-Saharanpur was paralysed after a mob came staged a violent protest and was indulged in widespread arson, forcing police to resort to lathicharge near Kandla police station in Shamli district on Saturday. The mob, led by ruling Samajwadi Party legislator Nayeed Hassan, was protesting against the assault on Muslim youths in a train between Kandhla and Barot on Friday night. The youths were on their way to Maharashtra to attend a religious function.
During the violence, the mob torched and damaged several vehicles and even attacked some religious places. More than 12 people were injured in the clash. The violence started after the local people ''gheraoed'' the Kandla police station on Saturday morning as police could not arrest the culprits involved in the assault. District Magistrate Pramod Kumar Pandey and Superintendent of Police (SP) Vijay Bhushan, both camped on the spot and faced tough time in defusing the agitation.
They had to fire several round of tear gas shells to disperse the crown. Vijay Bhushan claimed that the situation was tense but under control. Additional forces have been rushed to the spot to control the situation. Due to the violence, the rail and road traffic between Delhi and Saharanpur has been paralysed since Saturday morning. People were also squatting on the tracks and roads which had forced the authorities to stop the traffic. It may be mentioned that the youths from Kandla were going to Maharashtra to attend a religious function when they were beaten up by some persons near Barot in Baghpat district in Janata Express train. The agitating people were demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.