VIOLENCE, ARSON AFTER STONES PELTED AT PROCESSION
MEERUT: At least half a dozen people were injured as an angry mob damaged vehicles, including that of the divisional commissioner, and set a few shops on fire after stone pelting on an Ambedkar procession in Doodhali village of Saharanpur on Thursday afternoon. BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma was also present in the procession at the time of stone pelting. Hundreds of angry BJP leaders and workers barged into SSP Luv Kumar’s residence, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.
MEERUT: At least half a dozen people were injured as an angry mob damaged vehicles (including that of the divisional commissioner) and set a few shops on fire after stone pelting on an Ambedkar procession in Doodhali village of Saharanpur on Thursday afternoon.
BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma was also present in the procession at the time of stone pelting. Hundreds of angry BJP leaders and workers barged into SSP Luv Kumar’s residence, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. The angry BJP workers damaged the SSP’s name plate and CCTV camera at his residence. Unconfirmed sources said at least half a dozen people from both sides were injured in brick batting. The MP and his supporters were camping at the SSP office till late evening and demanding action against those who hindered the procession and unleashed terror in the city.
IG of Meerut Zone Ajay Anand also reached at Saharanpur and he told HT that both sides got involved in brick-batting. Stern action would be taken after identifying the troublemakers.
The trouble began in the afternoon when a procession was taken out in Doodhli to mark the 126th birth anniversary of Dr Bheemrao Ambedkar. BJP MP Raghav and his supporters were also present in the procession when a group of villagers allegedly obstructed the route and after an altercation both sides engaged in brick-batting.
Police officials and divisional commissioner rushed to the spot but an angry crowd damaged the vehicle of the commissioner and a few shops in the area. The angry protestors also set a few shops on fire. The situation turned volatile when hundreds of BJP workers and leaders gathered to protest the reported attack on the MP and marched towards the SSP’s residence. The angry workers damaged the name plate and CCTV camera there and traffic on Saharanpur –Dehradun highway remained paralysed for hours.
Heavy police force have been deployed in the area. BJP’s former state president Dr L K Bajpai has demanded that the culprits should be sent behind the bars.