Saharanpur tense again, one killed after Mayawati’s rally

One person was killed and at least 13 were injured in a fresh spate of violence in Saharanpur on Tuesday. The victims were reportedly assaulted when they were returning after attending a rally by BSP chief Mayawati in Shabbirpur village.

Some of the injured blamed Thakurs for attacking them with lathis and knives. However, the police did not confirm identities of the attackers. No one has been arrested so far.

Prabal Pratap Singh, SP Saharanpur city said, “One person was brought dead to Saharanpur district hospital while 13 were injured. 3 persons sustained grievous injuries and have been sent to Meerut.”

The deceased has been identified as Ashish Meghraj, a resident of Sarswa.

After the incident, Dalits gathered outside the district hospital in the night on Tuesday and demanded justice. In last fortnight, this is the third time that the city has been gripped by inter-caste violence.

After the attack, At least 5 additional companies of police forces have been sent to the area. Additional Director General law and order, Aditya Mishra said the situation now was under control.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a statement that the violence was unfortunate and officials concerned would be punished for any laxity. The government has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony and urged opposition parties to cooperate in restoring peace in the area.

The Uttar Pradesh government has blamed former Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati's visit to the area for the fresh violence on Tuesday. Mayawati was visiting Shabbirpur, a village where clashes between Dalits and Thakurs earlier this month led to the death another Dalit.

A statement issued by the UP government said, “It was expected that the visit of the former chief minister would help restore peace in Saharanpur but this has not happened and it's sad. Peace had been restored in Saharanpur but the former chief minister's visit led to tension followed by the unfortunate incident where one person has died.”

A delegation of four senior officials — Secretary (Home) Mani Prasad Mishra, ADG (law and order) Aditya Mishra, IG (STF) Amitabh Yash and DG (Security) Vijay Bhushan — has been sent to the district.