Top officials have been suspended as violence continued in the tense Saharanpur region of western Uttar Pradesh despite heavy police presence.
Fresh violence was reported from Saharanpur today which has seen tensions over caste clashes in the past few days. The tensions between Dalits and Thakurs continued today as members of the two groups fired at each other. One youth of the upper caste sustained bullet injuries, reports said.
The youth was immediately admitted to the nearby hospital and is said to be critical at the moment. Police officials reached the spot and managed to bring the situation under control.
In view of the continued incidents of violence, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and District Magistrate (DM) of Saharanpur were suspended today.
Security in the region has already been beefed up following the death of a Dalit youth in caste clashes yesterday with top officials being rushed to the city to control the situation.
Violence broke after some unidentified persons set fire to at least 12 houses of Thakurs in Shabbirpur village ahead of the arrival of BSP chief Mayawati there, SP (City) Prabal Pratap said.
A massive search operation has been launched and more than 20 suspects have been arrested on charges of inciting violence. Senior state government officials are campaigning in the area.
The incident occurred soon after Mayawati wrapped up her visit to the village. A sword-wielding mob allegedly attacked a Bolero of some BSP supporters, who had come from Sarsawa to attend her event.
Police sources said the attackers fired their guns and wielded batons, allegedly killing Ashish (24), who hailed from Sarsawa town, on the spot and injuring four others.
As word of the incident spread, Dalits in the city allegedly indulged in rioting and stone-pelting at some places, forcing closure of markets.
During her visit to the village, Mayawati had held the BJP-led state government responsible for the earlier bout of violence and alleged that the ruling party had failed to stop its own brigade from attacking weaker sections.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the incident as 'sad and unfortunate' and offered his condolences to the family of the deceased.
He said the culprits would be identified and strict action taken against them. He also appealed for peace and restraint and asked opposition parties to cooperate in restoring peace.
He also ordered a four-member team to visit the spot for inquiry. The team comprises ADG, Law and Order, Aditya Mishra, IG STF Amitabh Yash, DG Security Vijay Bhushan and is led by Home Secretary Mani Prasad Mishra.
The Uttar Pradesh government has blamed former Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's visit to the area for the fresh violence on Tuesday.
"It was expected that the visit of the former chief minister would help restore peace in Saharanpur but this has not happened and it's sad. Peace had been restored in Saharanpur but the former chief minister's visit led to tension followed by the unfortunate incident where one person has died," a statement issued by the UP government said.
Countering BJP's charge, Maywati today reiterated her allegation holding the state government responsible for the violence.
"The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is responsible for the violence in Saharanpur," she said.
"BJP and RSS are misusing the government machinery to disturb the communal peace," she added.
Saharanpur has been in the grip of caste violence since April.
On May 5, a Dalit group had objected to a procession of Thakurs in Shabbirpur to mark the birth anniversary of Rajput king Maharana Pratap, triggering violence, in which one person was killed and over 15 were injured.
Dalits say upper caste Thakurs had earlier prevented them from installing a statue of BR Ambedkar on the premises of the Ravidas temple in the village.
Members of the Bheem Army, a Dalit group, had on May 9 torched a bus and set a number of two-wheelers afire after the administration had turned down their request to hold a mahapanchayat in Gandhi Park to demand compensation for those affected in the May 5 inter-caste clashes.
