Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Toilet that triggered clash demolished

While two persons had died, many are still in jail in the case related with dispute in Aligarh’s Nagla Mewati area

- Pradeep Saxena letters@htlive.com

ALIGARH: The toilet in Nagla Mewati which triggered a communal clash on November 4, resulting in loss of two lives, was demolished on Friday by Muslims on the initiative of the district administra­tion.

To recall, due to the violence over the toilet, many people from both sides are in jail whereas FIR has been lodged against many others.

Muslims of Nagla Mewati told HT that on November 14, SDM ( Kol ) Pankaj Verma came to the village and said a compromise may be reached between the two warring groups if the toilet was demolished .

Afterwards the Muslims met Rashtriya Ulema Council officebear­ers. Council president Ifrahim Hussain and zonal president Nisar Ahmad consulted Aligarh City Mufti Khalid Hameed who motivated the villagers for a compromise.

The Mufti then spoke to the district magistrate who initiated a settlement.

On Friday, Ulema Council office-bearers reached the village and started getting the toilet demolished in their presence. Later, it was completely

› The toilet has been demolished. Now both groups should abide by the compromise as the dispute has been buried forever IFRAHIM HUSSAIN, district president, Rashtriya Ulema Council

razed by a JCB .

The toilet was constructe­d on the field of Ramveer Sharma and was attached with a mosque.

Sharma had demanded its demolition many times but to no avail. On November 4, when Sharma and his supporters started demolishin­g the toilet, Muslims protested and a clash ensued.

In the crossfirin­g, a youth Hasin, 18, died. Sharma, who was seriously injured, died in hospital later.

Rashtriya Ulema Council Aligarh district president Ifrahim Hussain said, “The toilet has been demolished. Now both groups should abide by the compromise as the dispute has been buried forever.”

He also cited the promise of DM (Kol ) Pankaj Verma that the people against whom FIR was registered would not be arrested and those who were in jail would be freed on the basis of compromise.”

 ?? HT ?? JCB machine was used to completely raze the disputed structure.
HT JCB machine was used to completely raze the disputed structure.

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