Lucknow, April 8
Aligarh remained tense on the fourth consecutive day today with fresh incidents of stone-pelting and firing reported in which at least one youth was critically injured. Stringent curfew remained imposed in practically the entire old city area.
The district administration’s plan to relax curfew from this morning had to be shelved when fresh trouble started in Hathipura locality. Heavy stone-pelting was reported.
Later, the police brought a critically injured youth to J.N. Medical College Hospital. He had gunshot wounds in his head. His condition was described as critical.
Life in the curfew-bound areas became difficult with food supplies in families drying up and government ration not being accessible to residents of the narrow bylanes inside the curfew-bound areas. Meanwhile, in a delayed reaction late last night the state government decided to suspend outgoing SSP Ajay Anand and DM Rajesh Kumar Singh instead of transferring them. Mr N.P. Singh, CO (City) and Inspector, Kotwali, Yashvir Singh were also placed under suspension. The two-member inquiry committee, including Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Arun Kumar Mishra and DGP, Headquarters, Allahabad, S.K. Rizvi had been asked to submit report within a week.
At least 120 persons have so far been arrested, including former BJP MLA A.K. Nawman in connection with the communal flare-up.
Senior police officials, including UP DGP, ADG (Law and Order) and IG were camping in Aligarh to monitor the situation. Rapid Action Force, Provincial Armed Constabulary and civil police had been strengthened to control the situation, an official spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Maulana Bukhari, the Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, was stopped at Ghaziabad en route to Aligarh. Earlier, Mr Lalji Tandon, senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, was detained in Kanpur on his was way to Aligarh.
