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Aligarh ADM, SP suspended
Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, April 7
The Aligarh District Magistrate, the SSP, the ADM (City) and the SP (City) were suspended following yesterday’s communal violence which left four dead in the city. A probe has been ordered.

Besides a stray incident in which a 26-year-old youth was injured near the Sachni Gate locality, the situation in the riot-hit city was described as “tense but under control”. Curfew was relaxed to allow people to perform their Friday prayers, said Home Secretary S.K. Aggarwal.

Informing the media about the new team that has taken charge of the city. Aggarwal said Akhil Kumar had replaced Ajay Anand as the SSP. Similarly, Bhuvnesh Kumar had taken charge as the DM in place of Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Rajeev Rautela is the new ADM (City) in place of Satyabhan who has been placed under suspension. The new SP (City) is D.P. Singh replacing S.K. Verma following his suspension.

Admitting that the outgoing team “perhaps did not intervene positively”, the Home Secretary said prompt action against them would send a strong message across the rank and file in the civil service.

Officially, 23 persons were injured in yesterday’s violence. Four succumbed to their injures and the remaining 19 are recuperating at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and the District Hospital.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has made an announcement for a sum of Rs 5 lakh as ex gratia payment to the next of kin of those dead. They are Naved, Azam, Sarfaraz and Shadab.

Speaking to TNS, Aligarh MLA Vivek Bansal of the Congress charged the SP and the BJP with instigating the riots as “they both benefit from such incidents in an election year”.