‘Desecration’ sparks mob violence,NH-24 traffic hit

Officers said prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been clamped in the area.

According to police,trouble erupted barely 15 minutes after torn pages of the book were found scattered at the railway station around 6 pm. “The pages had derogatory words written on them,” an officer said.

Soon after,a mob gathered outside Masuri police station,which is near the railway station. A constable said: “We tried to pacify the crowd. But the people soon turned violent and damaged everything at the station.”

“At least eight police cars were torched and parts of the police station were set on fire. The mob then moved to the main market of the town,which is close to the station,and damaged several shops. Trucks on National Highway 24 were also set ablaze.”

Police officers said the news about the desecration spread and soon reached Dasna,six km away.

“The crowd became aggressive when more police personnel arrived to control the situation. The protesters threw stones and damaged property. Police fired in the air to disperse the crowd. The people retaliated as some of them were armed,” an eyewitness said.

Personnel from the Police Armed Constabulary were also called in to quell the violence and patrol streets.

An official of the district administration said the situation was brought under control by 11 pm.

“But tension is simmering in the area. The SSPs of Noida and Ghaziabad are camping there to oversee security arrangements. A clear picture on the extent of the damage and the number of injured persons will emerge on Saturday,” he said.

Ghaziabad Police have stopped traffic on NH-24 more than 15 km from Masuri. Many trucks and private vehicles were stranded there.