Brawl over idol placement leaves cops, others hurt
BAHRAICH: Tension was palpable in the area after about half a dozen people, including policemen, sustained injuries in a scuffle that arose during the setting up a Goddess Durga idol, in Sisai Salon locality, under the Risia police station area, on Wednesday night.
Heavy police force, including the PAC, has been deployed in the area. District magistrate Mala Srivastava and superintendent of police Sabharaj Singh visited the area on Thursday morning and took stock of the situation. Srivastava and Singh instructed the Risia station officer to take stern action against law breakers.
Talking to HT, Bahraich subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Zubair Beg said that some people set up an idol in Sisai Salon without taking permission from the district administration. Members of another community opposed the move and later, the two groups started pelting stones at each other, the SDM said.
He said action has been taken against 15 people and the idol has been shifted from the place.
ASP (rural) Ravindra Singh said the public had been informed through the local intelligence unit (LIU) members and station officer not to set up any idol anywhere without permission. But disregarding the guidelines, some people set up the idol in the area. He said a case has been registered under section 147, 148, 149, 307, 295A, 336, 353 of the IPC.
Speaking on the issue, Risia Nagar Panchayat chairman Mahmood Ahmad said that in a meeting of the peace committee, the issue had been discussed and a letter apprising the police about the effort of some people to place an idol in the area had been given. Mahmood said that if the police had taken the matter seriously, the brawl could have been averted.