Tension at Sankisa pilgrimage site in UP
KANPUR: Tension prevailed in the Sankisa pilgrimage area in Farrukhabad district of western Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday when some persons allegedly pulled down a flag from a temple while seeking to reclaim a stupa at a disputed religious spot, sparking a clash. Sankisa is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Buddhist circuit.
Buddhist followers claim the place as a Buddhist stupa having great religious significance for them, whereas Sanatan Dharm followers claim it to be an ancient temple of Bisari Devi, according to the news agency PTI.Farrukhabad superintendent of police Ashok Kumar Meena said the police were investigating the clash and a team comprising the additional district magistrate (city) and additional superintendent of police has been formed for the probe. No FIR was lodged related to the incident till late Wednesday night.
Two persons were injured and three vehicles were damaged in the incident, said the police.
Police said heavy police deployment has been made around the site and the situation was now under control. The troublemakers were being identified through the video footage of the violence, said Meena.
The Buddhists believe the stupa is associated with Lord Buddha and say the temple nearby was wrongly built. Litigation on this issue between the two sides is going on in a local court for nearly 50 years.
Each year, thousands of people gather and offer prayers at the stupa. The administration had allowed a gathering of 200 people to perform rituals and prayers this time. Instead, more than 5000 people gathered at the site. Some people broke away and took down flags from the temple. Soon, the other side reached the site in large numbers leading to a clash, said officials in Farrukhabad.