Six police personnel were hurt and as many volunteers, including five women, sustained minor injuries after violence broke out during a Muharram procession in Outer Delhi's Nangloi on Saturday evening, officers said. A few police vehicles along with private buses and cars were also left damaged after they were allegedly pelted with stones. DCP (Outer) Harendra Kumar Singh said that on the occasion of Muharram, at around 5:45 PM, a few Tazia processions entered Nangloi on the main Rohtak road, in a deviation from the route that had already been decided upon in a prior meeting. Said the DCP, “Efforts were made to convince them to stick to their pre-decided route and proceed to the designated burials. While most of them cooperated, a few miscreants became unruly and started instigating the public and resorted to stone pelting.” The officer said that to ensure the safety of passers-by on the road, the mob was dispersed by the police with mild use of force, and order was restored immediately. “The Tazia processions were subsequently conducted peacefully in the area as per customs and religious practices,” said DCP Singh. Around 8,000 to 9,000 people were part of the procession, he said. Purported videos of the incident showed police personnel controlling the crowd through lathi charge while the latter tries to flee the spot. An FIR under sections pertaining to rioting and obstructing a public servant in discharge of their public functions has been lodged and a few suspects have been detained, said a police source. “We are scanning CCTV footage of the incident and are identifying other people who were involved in the violence,” said another officer.
