Elders intervened to prevent escalation of tension, say locals

ALIGARH: Clashes between police and violent anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA) protesters in Aligarh also led to a situation which threatened to harm the city’s communal harmony but elders and the police intervened to prevent an escalation of tension, the police and locals said on Monday.

The old city area, which has a mixed population, witnessed confrontation between members of two communities during clashes between the police and protesters, they said.

Vishal Pandey, circle officer of Kotwali, said, “The situation during the violence became more alarming when groups of different communities turned against each other. The situation, however, was controlled with timely intervention of the police.”

In Turkman gate, members of a community got angry after some miscreants pelted a place of worship with stones, locals alleged.

“Some people used the incident to instigate youngsters. The situation de-escalated after elders of the community intervened,” said Sudhir Pal Singh, a resident of Turkman Gate.

At Bawri Mandi, less than a kilometre from Turkman Gate, there was a tussle between groups. Two police teams rushed to the spot, applied mild force and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. As the after-effect of Sunday’s clashes was palpable on Monday, locals and police had to intervene to prevent an argument between two shopkeepers in the Uparkot area from taking an ugly turn.