Internet suspended after clashes
He said that the administration will recommend action against them under the National Security Act.
Lucknow: Internet services were suspended in Shahjahanpur district on Monday after a clash between Hindus and Sikhs outside a Gurdwara on Sunday.
An uneasy calm prevailed in the district on Monday and ASP (Rural) Subhash Chandra Shakya said that over 300 people have been booked and 80 have already been identified for rioting and damaging public property. However, no arrests have yet been made. SSP Shahjahanpur Shivasimpi Channappa and district magistrate Amrit Tripathi said that dozens of complaints had been received from both the sides but only three FIRS had been filed.
The officials said that video footage of the incident was been screened to identify the accused persons.
According to police, tension erupted when a Sikh ‘sewadar’ (volunteer) at Guru Nanak Dev Gurudwara in Banda area allegedly hit a Hindu girl who had set up a cart to sell ‘rakhis’ on Saturday afternoon.
The girl’s father, in his complaint, alleged that the volunteer attacked his daughter when she resisted inappropriate advances of the accused.
This led to clashes between Sikhs and Hindus and the situation took a turn for the worse when reports of clashes between the two communities started pouring in from different parts of Banda area. The Gurdwara granthi Amrik Singh, who is the main accused in the complaint filed by the girl’s side, has since gone underground.
District magistrate, Shahjahanpur, Amrit Tripathi said, “There were reports of circulation of inflammatory content on social media platforms after which internet services were suspended to check any untoward incident.”
He said that the administration will recommend action against them under the National Security Act.
Meanwhile, senior administrative and police officials are camping in the Banda area which has a considerable Sikh population.
SSP Shahjahanpur said that force from four police stations, four battalions of PAC and two battalions of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area. Restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people in and out of Banda.