17 arrested for inter-caste clash in Saharnpur

Saharanpur: Seventeen people were arrested today in connection with the violent clashes that broke out between two groups at a village in Saharanpur in which one person was killed yesterday, police said.

Around 20-25 youths of upper caste Thakur community from Shabbirpur village were on their way to Simlana village to take part in a function to garland the statue of Rajput warrior-king Maharana Pratap, when the Dalit locals objected to the loud music being played by them.

The objection led to an argument between the groups and it soon  snowballed into a full-blown clash as the members of the factions pelted stones and bricks at each other, a police report stated.

While one person, identified as Sumit Singh, was killed, 15 others, including a police official, was injured in the clash. Acting on a complaint filed by the father of the deceased, police today arrested 17 people, charging seven of them for murder.

Senior superintendent of police Subhash Chandra Dubey said police are trying to identify the other accused in the case. Those injured in the clash were being given medical treatment, while one of them with serious injuries was referred to Meerut for further medical assistance, the SSP said.

Meanwhile, PAC has been deployed in the village in view of the tense situation arising out of the clash.