Tension escalated in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, today -- a day after communal clashes during Durga idol immersion, in which one person died. The police conducted flag marches after shops were set on fire and men armed with sticks and iron rods were seen roaming the streets in some pockets. Around 30 people have been detained in connection with the unrest that broke out in Mahrajganj area of Mansoor village last evening.
Officials said Home Secretary Sanjeev Gupta and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash have reached the spot to take stock of the situation. "The situation is being brought under control and anti-social elements are being chased away," Vrinda Shukla, a senior police officer of the local police, was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
The clashes had started with an altercation over music played on loudspeakers during the immersion procession. As the matter snowballed, stone throwing and firing started, in which six people were injured. A man sustained gunshot wounds and died during treatment in the local hospital.
The family of Ram Gopal Mishra, a resident of Rehua Mansoor village, had refused to cremate the body and held a sit-down protest. They relented after assurances of action from the police and administration officials.
"We are moving ahead with the last rites,' Sureshwar Singh, the BJP MLA from Mahsi, was quoted as saying by PTI. The man, he said, had got married four months ago and his family has demanded that cases be registered against those responsible, and the senior officers of the local police outpost be suspended.
A case has been filed against a person identified as Salman, from whose house the guns were fired, the police said.
In a post on X earlier today, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appealed to the Chief Minister to take action in the matter.
"The news of violence in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, and the inaction of the administration are extremely sad and unfortunate... I appeal to the chief minister of the state and the state administration to take immediate action, take the public into confidence and stop the violence. Strictest action should be taken against the culprits. My humble appeal to the public, please do not take the law into your own hands," her post read.
"Any conspiracy to disturb the peace and harmony of Uttar Pradesh will not be unsuccessful. Those who protect the rioters are once again becoming active, but we have to be cautious and vigilant... The bright future of the state will not be allowed to be tampered with," read a rough translation of a Hindi post on X by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.