Groups clash in Bareilly city over change in Barawafat procession route

Members of two communities clashed in Bareilly city on Tuesday evening when some youths leading a Barawafat procession tried to change the route that was earlier scheduled to pass through Prem Nagar area.

Members of two communities clashed in Bareilly city on Tuesday evening when some youths leading a Barawafat procession tried to change the route that was earlier scheduled to pass through Prem Nagar area. Instead,it chose to enter Kohada Peer locality thereby inviting ire of locals belonging to another community.

The procession was initially scheduled for Saturday,but the district administration postponed it on account of Holi.

A similar clash had taken place four years ago in the area and the administration had then strictly banned the Barawafat procession from entering Kohada Peer locality.

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Bareilly Inspector General (IG) B P Singh said,No casualty has been reported in the incident and the situation is under control. Preventive curfew has been clamped in Prem Nagar,Qila,City Kotwali and Baradari.

Singh said the people leading the Barawafat procession tried to move towards Kohada Peer locality,defying the route planned by the administration. The residents of the area objected to it. Subsequently,a few members of the procession manhandled the locals,following which they were pelted at with stones.

More people joined on either side as the agitated mob engaged in brick-batting. They set fire to vehicles. A police outpost and some shops in the locality were also set on fire.

Senior officials including the IG,DIG and the DM rushed to the spot and the rioters were dispersed through lathicharge,water-canon and firing of rubber bullets.

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