Internet services are restored in the district as local authorities try to restore peace and normalcy
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Two accused in the Bahraich rioting in Uttar Pradesh were shot by the police near the Nepal border, as per multiple news agency reports.
Five suspects were trying to flee to Nepal. According to agency reports, an encounter took place between the police and the accused. In the melee that followed, two main accused — Sarfaraz and Talib — suffered gunshot injuries, media reports quoted a senior UP police official as saying on Thursday.
Communal tensions erupted in Bahraich on Sunday after violence broke out during a Durga idol immersion procession. A 22-year-old man Ramgopal Mishra was shot at during the clashes. He later succumbed to the gunshot injuries. Six others were injured during the clashes in stone-pelting and gunfire.
The clash began at Maharajganj under Mahsi Tehsil over the playing of loud music outside a mosque during the immersion procession. After Mishra’s death, the incident escalated into arson and vandalism in the area as angry mobs torched Muslim shops, houses, hospitals, and vehicles.
Multiple FIRs have been registered and police have rounded up 55 suspects in connection with the communal clashes. There is heavy deployment of security in the area to maintain law and order.
A police officer stated that raids were conducted in Nakwa and Chandpara villages late on Wednesday night to nab the main accused, but he was not arrested.
The family of the deceased has lodged an FIR against six named and four unknown people. Only one person has been nabbed so far.
Earlier in the day, internet services were restored in the district as local authorities tried to restore peace and normalcy. The police have also issued a stern warning against spreading rumours, and have urged the residents to prioritise communal harmony as efforts are on to restore peace in the area.
In a video message, Additional Superintendent of Police Pavitra Mohan Tripathi said, “In relation to the incident in Maharajganj on October 13, false information is being spread on social media to disrupt communal harmony. Claims that the deceased was electrocuted, attacked with a sword, or had his nails pulled out are baseless.”
He said that the post-mortem report has confirmed that the cause of Mishra’s death was gunshot wounds.
“No other fatalities occurred in this incident. We request everyone to ignore rumours and refrain from spreading false information,” Tripathi added.