Kasganj Remains Tense After Violence, But Situation Under Control

Home department officials said no untoward incident has been reported in the last few hours.

Police deployment in Kasganj district. 

(Photo: IANS)

Three days after clashes between two communities left one dead and many injured, the situation in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh remained tense but under control, as the Yogi Adityanath government on Monday removed the district SP Sunil Kumar Singh.

Sunil Kumar Singh has been replaced with Piyush Srivastava, who has been asked to join at the earliest, a government spokesman said.

Singh had earned the ire of the government for the Republic Day violence that followed initial skirmishes during the 'Tiranga Yatra' brought out by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (an affiliate of the RSS). He has been transferred to Police Training School, Meerut.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders remain in place while police presence was increased, the official said.

On being asked about the situation in Kasganj, UP government spokesman and senior cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh said he has seen reports that shops are opening on Monday, 29 January.

Some stray incidents of violence have taken place since Sunday with a mob setting some kiosks on fire and assaulting some people in Bhargain.

Home department officials said no untoward incident has been reported in the last 12 hours.

A Peace Committee has been formed by the district administration. It has been doing the rounds of the tension-hit areas and requesting people not to pay heed to rumours.

Additional security forces have been deployed in the violence-hit areas and at Bilram Gate, Tehsil road, Lavkush Nagar and Baddu Nagar. The UP Police said drone cameras had been deployed for aerial surveillance and described the situation as improving.

The Yogi Adityanath-led government has stressed that the guilty would not be spared. Explosives were found during house-to-house searches following which the state police chief said the stringent National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked against culprits.

Under the NSA, a person can be detained without bail or trial and authorities need not disclose grounds of detention if they believe the detainee can act in a way that poses a threat to the security of the state/country or the maintenance of public order.

More than 100 people have been sent to jail under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for their alleged role in the violence that left one dead, another critically wounded and property vandalised and gutted.

(With inputs from agencies)