Nearly a week after two brothers were killed allegedly by a man from another community, a local BJP MLA’s alleged remarks sparked tension in Aligarh. On Friday afternoon, a clash between a group of protesters and the police left at least half a dozen policemen injured. “Thousands of Muslims come to the Eidgah here ( Upper Court Street, where the clash took place) to offer namaz. An article in local newspapers carried BJP MLA Sanjeev Rana’s comments on the double murder case. There was no communal angle, it was a case of personal rivalry and the accused was arrested shortly,” said Rajesh Pandey, SSP Aligarh. The police said the MLA had allegedly said the death of the brothers, Wasim and Ashu, was justified on the ground of self-defence. With these statements being circulated on social media, Muslim residents of the area had decided to march to the DM’s office. “They were advised not to march for security reasons. While some protesters agreed, others joined the procession and stones were thrown," said Pandey. “All the policemen were discharged from hospital. We have arrested six persons,” Pandey said.
