Bareilly under curfew for 12th day

Ndtv.com Friday March 12, 2010,

A large part of Bareilly is under curfew for the 12th day running. On March 2, the day after Holi, a communal riot had broke out injuring many people. The police have decided to take no chances.

« We have nothing to do with the riots. But we are the ones who are suffering, » said Shopkeeper.

Bareilly looks like a town under siege. The riot still simmers under the surface. The fear of a backlash among civilians is huge.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Mayawati saw to it that Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan, an accused in the riot, was released.

It served two purposes: The Maulana’s angry supporters did not resort to more violence and the Muslim vote was pacified.

But it gave Bajrang Dal arsenal. Partymen set shops and vehicles on fire pushing an already tense town to the edge.

« Ten people have been arrested for arson and stone-pelting, » said Brijlal Mohan, Additional Director General, Law & Order, Uttar Pradesh.

Add to this chaos, the BJP rushed in to consolidate the Hindu vote.

Soon, Congress and the Samajwadi Party leaders were also trying to reach Bareilly because staying away could be a political setback in a state where Muslim politics is a big decider.

The police kept them all away.

Even a riot can become a field of political upmanship as Bareilly is learning.

Fresh communal clashes erupt in UP’s Bareilly, curfew on

ibnlive.com

Fri, Mar 12, 2010

Bareilly: Fresh tension erupted in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh on Friday after members of a community indulged in brick batting and arson following the release of a Muslim cleric, who was arrested in connection with communal clashes.

The leader of Ittehad-e-Millat Conference, who was arrested on Monday last, was released on Thursday evening.

Soon after, crowds defied curfew and went on a rampage in nearly one dozen localities of the city.

The police had to resort to force at a number of places to control the unruly mob.

The leaders of The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India’s main Hindu-nationalist opposition party also staged a demonstration in front of the district magistrate’s residence.

The curfew continues in four police areas of the city including Premnagar, Qila, Baradari and Kotwali.

All educational institutions have been closed till further orders.

15 injured in Uttar Pradesh violence

thaindian.com

March 12th, 2010

Lucknow, March 12 (IANS) At least 15 people, including a senior police officer, were injured Friday in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district when members of a community clashed with police to protest the release of a Muslim cleric, authorities said.
The community members indulged in vandalism and protested against the release of Maulana Tauquir Raza Khan, president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, who was arrested for his alleged role in last week’s communal violence in Bareilly, about 250 km from here. Khan was released Thursday.

After unruly people protested in areas of Subhashnagar police station, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas cannisters to control them. Curfew was later imposed in those areas.

“The situation is still tense, but under control. For vandalism and violent protests, we have arrested 10 people. Security has been beefed up in parts of Bareilly in the wake of the fresh violence,” Additional Director General (Law and Order) Brij Lal told reporters here.

“In today’s violence, some people, including superintendent of police (city) Rakesh Jolly, were injured. We have learnt that no one was seriously injured in the violence,” he added.

Khan gave a “rabble rousing speech” that led to communal violence in parts of Bareilly last week.

A minor communal clash followed by sporadic arson March 2 afternoon led the administration to clamp curfew in several parts of Bareilly city.

Trouble sparked off over the passage of a Barawafat procession. What started with exchange of hot words between members of rival communities, almost instantly snowballed into a violent clash as members of a particular community went on an arson spree, burning down a few shops.

Riots escalate in Bareilly, top cop hurt

TNN

Mar 12, 2010

BAREILLY: Rioting escalated in western UP city of Bareilly on Friday, engulfing fresh areas, leaving dozens injured and extension of curfew in fresh areas.

Though there were no reports of casualties, the condition was reported to be quite tense until Friday evening.

At least four buses and trucks were burnt on Friday morning on Budayun Road and several shops and establishments torched in fresh rioting and arson incidents in Subhash Nagar and Sanjay Nagar localities.

There were also reports of stray firing incidents in these areas. At least two persons, including a 12-year-old boy Ajay, were admitted to the district hospital in a critical condition.

Riots, which spread across the new city areas on Thursday, also left the city SP city Rakesh Jolly injured in a stoning incident in Subhash Nagar. Police had to open a mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd following the incident.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said Commissioner Majid Ali too has been transferred by the Mayawati government for failure to contain riots. Administration had already named new DM and DIG for the city on Wednesday and Thursday.

The curfew, in its eleventh day on Friday, was extended to another police station area of Subhash Nagar, bringing the total areas under curfew to five.

The fresh incidents were sparked off last night after the UP administration informed the court that it was withdrawing all charges against a prominent local leader in connection with rioting. Following this, he was immediately released, sparking off rioting and arson from both sides.

Members of the other community alleged that the police had enough proof of his complicity in riots, but he was released as UP administration caved under pressure from members of the other community from within the ruling Bahujan Samjwadi Party, as well as Samajwadi Party and Congress.

Permission for a high-profile Ram Barat on Friday, which had been taken out across city’s main streets as a precursor to Ram Navmi celebrations for past 149 years, was cancelled in view of the prevailing conditions.

Several thousand people from the arrested leaders’ community had been out on the street since Wednesday evening, leading to a dangerous situation in the city. They were demanding an unconditional and immediate release of their leader Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan, national president of the powerful Itihad-e-Millat Council (IMC) that holds considerable clout in the community.

Meanwhile, local police and intelligence units are investigating if any group linked with the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India played a role in the riots, leading to such flare-up in a city not known for communal violence.

Communal violence erupts in Bareily

thehindu.com

LUCKNOW, mars 12, 2010

Violence erupted again in the riot hit Bareilly town in Uttar Pradesh on Friday as the riotous mob clashed with the police in Sanjay Nagar and Subhash Nagar areas of the city.

About a dozen persons were injured in the incidents of violence and arson. Among the injured are the SP (city) of Bareilly, Rakesh Jolly and about five other policemen.

Ten persons were arrested on Friday, even as 267 persons had been rounded up earlier.

Bareilly has been reeling under the impact of communal violence since the last 11 days but the district administration and the police have failed to curb the violent incidents. Indefinite curfew continued in four police station areas of Kotwali, Prem Nagar, Baradari and Qila.

The ADG (Law and Order), Brij Lal told reporters here that additional force has been rushed to Bareilly with a PAC Commandant, Jyoti Narain, four additional SPs and four deputy SPs being sent to assist the police officials. Mr. Lal said violence erupted in Subhash Nagar and Sanjay Nagar areas of the town in the afternoon. He said seven vehicles and about half a dozen roadside shops were set a ablaze by a mob, which also subjected the police force to heavy brickbatting.

Mr. Lal said the police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disburse the mob. About half a dozen persons were injured in police firing, the ADG said.

Violence had erupted late Thursday night when a riotous mob ran amok in Katra Chand Khan, Qutub Shah Ki Baraat and Bareilly College Gate areas indulging in violence and arson. It is said that Thursday night’s violence was triggered off by the release of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council leader, Maulana Tauqeer Reza Khan. The Maulana was released reportedly at the behest of a senior minister of the Mayawati regime keeping in view the possibility of the Muslims boycotting the Bahujan Samaj Party rally in Lucknow on March 15.

Following reports that the Ram Baraat procession on Friday had been cancelled by the district administration, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Bareilly, former MP, Santosh Kumar Gangwar and others staged a dharna at the DM’s residence at around 1 AM on Thursday night. The dharna was called off late in the night.

Mr. Lal said the Ram Baraat procession was voluntary called off by the organisers in view of the tense communal situation. He added that the situation after Friday’s violence was under control.

Meanwhile, the State Government on Thursday transferred the DIG, Bareilly Range, MK Bashal and replaced him with Rajeev Sabbarwal. The District Magistrate, Ashish Goyal was also moved. Anil Garg has assumed charge as the new DM.

Communal violence leaves Bareilly tense

TNN

Mar 11, 2010

LUCKNOW: Communal violence that flared up after a dispute over the route of a Muslim procession just after Holi celebrations and the subsequent arrest of a Muslim leader has left Bareilly in the grip of sectarian tensions and under curfew more than a week later.

While day curfew, first imposed after clashes on March 2, was relaxed in some areas on Wednesday after a security review, night curfew remains in place. At the request of district administration, Muslim clerics in Bareilly agreed to postpone a procession to mark Barawafaat until March 2, the day after Holi.

While the procession was being taken out, violence broke out after a confrontation between the processionists and members of a particular community. At least 24 persons, including policemen were injured in the arson and heavy brick-batting. By nightfall that day, curfew was imposed in four police circles of the city.

Things appeared to cool off until Tuesday, when tensions erupted afresh after the arrest of Muslim cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza, chairman of All India Muslim Personal Law Board — Jadeed (AIMPLB-J) late on Monday night in connection with the earlier violence. That led to curfew being reimposed as a precautionary measure. Tauqeer has been accused of inciting communal violence and sent to jail and sources said authorities were contemplating slapping NSA on him.

Curfew reimposed in four localities of Bareilly

ptinews.com

Bareilly (UP), Mar 9 (PTI) Curfew has been reimposed in four localities of the town in the wake of fresh tension following arrest of a prominent Sunni cleric in connection with communal clashes, official sources said here today.

Day cufew, which was lifted on March 7, has been reimposed in three police station areas of Prem Nagar, Qila, Baradari and some parts of Kotwali this morning, they said.

Curfew was clamped in four police areas of Bareilly city after communal clashes on March 2, in which several poeple were injured and scores of houses and shops were set ablaze.

Fresh tension erupted in the city after leader of Ittehad-e-Millat Conference Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan was arrested by the police on charges of inciting communal feelings, attempt to murder and treason last evening, sources said.

Scores arrested for Bareilly riots, BJP leaders stopped enroute trouble zone

indianexpress.com

Thursday , Mar 04, 2010

Bareilly/Lucknow:

The police have arrested 59 people in connection with communal clashes in Bareilly that erupted on Tuesday following some changes in the route of the Barawafat procession.

The four trouble-hit areas of the city — Prem Nagar, Qila, Baradari and City Kotwali — still remain under curfew.

Inspector General (IG) Law & Order, A P Maheshwari said no untoward incident has been reported from the trouble-hit areas on Wednesday but the curfew has been extended to maintain peace in the city.

“The situation is under control and a heavy force, including PAC and RAF, has been deployed in areas where curfew was clamped last evening,” said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police M K Bashal.

He added that some people had been arrested for violating curfew and prohibitory orders.

Around 32 places, including houses and the shops, were attacked and set on fire by rioters on Tuesday

Amid this senior BJP leaders, including state president Ramapati Ram Tripathi, were detained by the police for over three hours at Itaunja in the outskirts of Lucknow on Wednesday.

Fearing law and order problem, the police detained the BJP leaders.

Tripathi criticised the state govenrment and said as a free citizen, he has the right to move anywhere. “The police not only detained us, but also misbehaved with our workers and abused them, leading to a heated dispute. I kept on asking as to why we were being stopped and only after much drama, we were showed the DM Bareilly’s letter stating that we are not being allowed entry into the district as serious law and order problems are being expected,” said Tripathi.

Informations

Bareilly(Hindi: बरेली, Urdu: بریلی) is a city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand. It is a center for the manufacture of furniture and for trade in cotton, grain, and sugar. The city’s population in 2001[1] was 699,839. Geographically it forms the outer gateway to enter Uttarakhand State. This fast-growing city is also known as Bans-Bareilly (Bamboo Bareilly).

~ par Alain Bertho sur 12 mars 2010.

Publié dans दंगा, émeutes, riots