Police working with youth to calm Bisada
GREATERNOIDA: The district police and other administrative officials are jointly working to keep Bisada calm.
The police say there is no communal tension, but nearly 25 armed policemen are deployed near the mosque and other sensitive areas of the village as a precaution. The village hit headlines after Mohammad Ikhlaq was lynched and his son mercilessly beaten over allegations of slaughtering a cow and storing its meat for consumption on September 28 in 2015.
Eighteen men, including three juveniles, were arrested on charges of murder and assault in the wake of the incident.
On October 4 this year, a jailed accused — Ravin — died in hospital again triggering tension in the village. The three-day-long standoff between the villagers, who had refused to cremate the body, and the government ended after an assurance of ₹25 lakh compensation and a private job to the wife of the deceased.
District magistrate NP Singh said they are planning to impart job-oriented skill development training to the youth and promote sports activities in the village.
“The need of the hour is to channelise the energy of the youth in the right direction. The whole idea is to create an ideological constructiveness among the youth. Mostly, the village youth try to get into the armed forces due to lack of guidance. There are a number of armed forces personnel in the village. Our officers are guiding the youth to work for a better future,” said Singh.
He said the officers are also encouraging the villagers with the help of the elderly residents to plant saplings at the ‘harmony park’ constructed in July this year as a mark of communal harmony in the village.
“We have revived a number of ponds with the help of villagers. Also, a number of sports activities were started. Now as the rainy season is gone, we will re-initiate sports tournaments,” Singh said.
“Our men are speaking to villagers every day. The officers are also interacting with the youth to win their confidence. The situation is completely normal and our men are keeping an eye on the village,” said Abhishek Yadav, superintendent of police (rural), Gautam Budh Nagar. Police said they are trying to create normalcy before pulling out the forces.