A person was killed and 12 others were injured when police resorted to force to rein in hundreds of followers of Shia leader Kalbe Jawwad who were protesting against the alleged corruption in Waqf Board on Friday.
The protesters tried to lay siege to the official residence of Minister for Minority Affairs and Waqf Azam Khan at Kalidas Marg for not paying heed to their demands. The agitators torched as many as 10 vehicles including a PAC truck.
According to reports, a procession led by Shia leader Kalbe Jawwad marched towards the Hazratganj. The police had planned not to allow the protesters to move away from Shaheed Park. As the crowd reached Shaheed Park, the police used force to stop them there.This snowballed into a clash. The police resorted to lathicharge. Soon it was free for all with the protesters snatching service weapons of Wazirganj ASI Hari Om and in-charge of Pandeyganj police.
The cops bashed up a 60-year-old protester, Karrar Husain of Muftiganj in Thakurganj. He fell unconscious and was taken to Trauma Centre of KGMU where he succumbed to his injuries. Several protesters and a dozen police officials suffered serious injuries. There were reports that a PAC jawan also suffered serious injuries in the attack and died during treatment. However, the report was not confirmed.