By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh): Three persons were reportedly killed and 30 others wounded, two of them seriously, as violent clash between police and a mob of minority community erupted in Loni area in Ghaziabad, 24 km from New Delhi.
There are contrasting reports in media about the incident. The Hindu says the clash took place between two communities over construction of a house in a locality that is dominated by the minority community. The rioters were joined by Shiva devotees going to Hardwar and they blocked traffic for two hours. The warring groups opened fire at each other killing three persons. Urdu newspapers including Hamara Samaj and Rashtriya Sahara have just opposite version of the story.
According to Hamara Samaj, Uttar Pradesh police forcibly stopped an expansion work of the Ikramia Masjid located in Khanna Nagar Ram Park locality. The police allegedly beat students studying in the mosque when the protested police action. When the news spread locals from the minority community opposed the police action and resorted to stone pelting. In response the police opened fire at the agitating mob.
The paper says the expansion work of the mosque was being opposed by some people in the area. Taking action on their behalf the police had stopped the work earlier. When yesterday the mosque management resumed expansion work, the police again came into action.
The police, however, have termed the case a dispute between the two communities.
In yesterday’s incident, more than two dozen people from the minority community have been injured. The agitating mob also set on fire several vehicles. A police jeep and a police check-post were also set on fire.
Another daily Rashtriay Sahara says the mosque was attacked by a mob from the majority community. The Imam of the mosque was beaten and holy books were desecrated and roof of the mosque was set on fire. As soon as the news spread, people from minority community got agitated. The people resorted to violence. Extra police force has been deployed in the area.