Kasganj violence: 2 houses torched hours after Police claimed situation under control

Hours after the Police claimed that situation in Kasganj was under control, two separate incidents of fire were reported from Western Uttar Pradesh's riot-hit town.

Hours after the Police claimed that situation in Kasganj was under control, two separate incidents of fire were reported from Western Uttar Pradesh's riot-hit town. Photo: ANI

KASGANJ: Hours after the Police claimed that situation in Kasganj was under control, two separate incidents of fire were reported from Western Uttar Pradesh's riot-hit town. In the latest flare-up, miscreants around 8 pm torched an empty house in the irrigation department's quarter. Another incident was reported from Nadrai locality where a house in Manoda street was set ablaze. No one was injured. According to the locals, one person with a bottle full of petrol or some other inflammatory substance set a house on fire in a colony of the irrigagation department. The flame engulfed the outer part of the house but was finally doused. Neighbours said the residents of the house, out of fear, had moved to a nearby village under police protection on Sunday morning. Within 30 minutes, another house was torched in Nadrai locality of Manoda street. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the blaze. Earlier on Sunday afternoon, the Uttar Pradesh police claimed that the situation was under control as some markets and shops were reopened amid strict vigil by the forces. "The situation in Kasganj is now under control. No incidents have taken place in last ten hours. A number of people were arrested and patrolling has been intensified," DGP OP Singh had said in the afternoon. A fresh round of violence had erupted in Kasganj on Sunday morning when some shops were put to flames by the antisocial elements after which police intensified patrolling and peace was maintained till late evening. A meeting of the district peace committee was held on Sunday morning in a bid to restore normalcy. Following the meeting, it was decided that shops and commercial establishments in the area would be opened. The police have made 79 arrests till Sunday in connection with the violence that erupted on Friday when a motorcycle rally by the activists of ABVP and VHP was passing through the locality of another community. The Uttar Pradesh police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the communal clash that led to the death of one person and injured several others. During raids, police have also recovered petrol bombs and a country-made pistol from the house of one of the accused. Internet services also remain suspended in the trouble-torn area to prevent rumours spreading on the social media. The administration has also restricted political movements in the district to avoid flaring up of the situation in Kasganj, where a curfew was imposed after Friday's clashes. One person was killed and several others were injured in Friday's violence.