By RINA International Service
Mathura: Violence broke out in Kosi Kalan in wake of confrontation between the two communities on Sunday. In stone hurling that continued for several hours, half-a-dozen persons got injured who were admitted to various hospitals. Infuriated crowd put a motorcycle on fire. Slogans like “Down with Police and Administration” were raised and all markets of the city closed opposing the incident. A few police personnel and media men were also injured in stone hurling. Senior administrative officers, PAC and police have arrived on the scene but peoples’ rage has not vanished and the tense atmosphere continues.
Member of parliament Maulana Ubaidullah Khan Azami told the press that a Muslim youth went to purchase a SIM card at the time of Asr prayers but the shopkeeper refused to sell him the SIM card saying that you are a Muslim and a Pakistani, so go to Pakistan to purchase SIM card. The young man reacted over this, whereupon RSS and Sangh Parivar men thrashed him and police refused to register the case, instead they baton-charged the Muslims gathered there. About 20 Namazis got injured in baton-charge.
According to information, one wheel of a rickshaw-puller’s cart ran over a leg of a girl in the morning near Gharot Gate. This led to minor altercations among people present there and the rickshaw-puller was beaten up. After this thrashing, the rickshaw-puller went off the scene but came back along with his men who ransacked a shop there. The news of this incident broke out as a jungle file and within minutes, people gathered at Batasa Bazar where they challenged the members of the other community. Reacting to this challenge, members of the other community came to the fore and started hurling stones causing stampede, and entire market closed. After sometime, police officers reached there and counseled both parties but some lapse of time, stone hurling and mock firing ensued. Apparently, police sided with one party whereupon anti-police slogans were also shouted. When agitated people protested against police action, they were warned of direct firing. No report has been registered in this case so far and media persons are forbidden to intervene. Police are arresting members of one community only. SSP R. K. Chaturvedi, SSP Govind Agarwal SDM Ritu Sharma and ADM Bharat Pandey are watching the situation closely.