By IANS,
Lucknow : Mobs set vehicles on fire and fought pitched battles with the police as violent protests erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district Wednesday after a man was mowed down by a speeding car, police said.
The protests broke out in Manikpur area, some 300 km from Lucknow, after Yogendra Kumar was killed when he was hit by a speeding car in the morning.
Agitated over the death of the 25-year-old, locals resorted to vandalism at several public places and set nearly six vehicles on fire. The protestors also attempted to set a police jeep and two mototcycles on fire but could not succeed.
Police used batons to disperse the unruly crowds.
“We had no other option but to use force against the mob,” police inspector Nagesh Mishra told reporters in Etawah.
Additional security has been deployed in the area in the wake of the violence.
“The situation is still tense but under control. Adequate security personnel have been deployed to avert an untoward incident,” Mishra added.
Police are yet to nab the driver of the car that hit Yogendra Kumar.