Bareilly DM’S FB post on Kasganj clash creates stir

KASGANJ: The district magistrate (DM) of Bareilly, RV Singh, has created a stir with his post on Facebook about Kasganj.

“Ajab riwaz ban gaya hai. Muslim mohallo main julus le jao aur Pakistan murdabad ke nare lagao. Kyun bhai woh Pakistani hain kya? (A strange tradition has been formed. To visit Muslim areas and raise slogans against Pakistan. Why, are they (Muslims) Pakistanis?.”

As per preliminary investigation, the Kasganj clashes broke out when a group of youth took out a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in the Muslim-dominated Baddu Nagar area on Republic Day.

Reacting to the DM’S post, UP finance minister and MLA from Bareilly City, Rajesh Agarwal, said, “I have not read the comment posted by DM Bareilly yet. But considering that he is a former army officer, I can say that he will never say anything against our country or in favour of Pakistan.”

Speaking to HT over phone, Singh said: “It was a small incident, but see how big its implications were. The SP of Kasganj has been transferred and people are questioning the working of the district magistrate.” He added: “These incidents affect the ongoing developmental work.”

Singh, who took charge as the DM of Bareilly in 2017, started his career as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army.

In his Facebook post, Singh mentioned a similar incident, which he says occurred in Khelam area of Bareilly last year, when a group of kanwariyas reportedly went through a Muslim-dominated village and allegedly raised slogans against Pakistan. “What is the need of raising such slogans? Even I will stop someone shouting such slogans outside my residence without any reason,” the DM said.

The post was put up by the officer on Sunday and has got 235 reactions. Till late on Monday, the post was still visible on Singh’s wall.

SP TRANSFERRED

AFTER GOVERNOR’S RAP LUCKNOW: Three days after communal strife in UP’S Kasganj claimed a life and led to violence, the Yogi Adityanatwh government shunted out district police chief Sunil Kumar Singh, even as director general of police OP Singh shot off directives asking the police to deal firmly with mischief mongers.

The action came soon after Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik described the Kasganj clashes as a ‘kalank’ (blot) on the state and asked the government to ensure there was no recurrence.

Immediately after the remarks, the government issued marching orders to Sunil Singh, superintendent of police (SP) of the trouble-torn district.