Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

Phagwara tense as right-wing members clash with Dalits

DSP’S official vehicle vandalised during a protest

- HT Correspond­ent

PHAGWARA :Tension prevailed in Phagwara after a clash between members of two communitie­s on Friday evening.

Trouble began when some unidentifi­ed persons attacked Rahul Karwal, nephew of senior state vice-president of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) Inderjit Karwal at his shop in the Meli Gate are of the town.

Later, members of the Hindu outfit rushed to the spot and thrashed two men belonging to the Valmiki community. The injured have been admitted to the civil hospital.

Police said both the groups had a scuffle three days following an old rivalry.

A first informatio­n report (FIR) has been registered against members of both the groups, said the police.

Tension escalated when members of a group took to streets and forced the shopkeeper­s to down their shutters. They also damaged glass doors of some of the shops.

They then held a protest out- side the city police station and also damaged the official vehicle of the deputy superinten­dent of police (DSP).

Heavy police force has been deployed in the area to keep the situation under control, said senior superinten­dent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh.

He said the situation is now under control and supporters of both the parties have been pacified.

“The police are investigat­ing the incident,” he said.

On April 13 last year, a clash broke out between members of a Dalit outfit and Hindu “upper caste” right-wing groups over renaming of Gol Chowk to Samvidhan Chowk in which a Dalit youth Yashwant Bobby, who was injured in the clash, died on April 29.

 ?? HT PHOTO ?? Police personnel near the clash site in Phagwara on Friday.
HT PHOTO Police personnel near the clash site in Phagwara on Friday.

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