4 killed in clashes after girl harassed in Bijnore; 6 held

Four youth were shot dead and 12 others injured in clashes between two communities in western Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnore district on Friday.

Violence started at Paeda village some Jat youth allegedly harassed a Muslim schoolgirl. A passer-by objected to the act but he was beaten up by the accused, the police said

When members of the minority community protested, they were fired at, the police said. One person was killed at the spot, while three others died during treatment.

A similar trigger had led to clashes between the two communities in nearby Muzaffarnagar in 2013 in which 65 people were killed and thousands displaced.

Senior police officer Daljit Chaudhary rushed to Bijnore from Lucknow to take stock of the situation. UP police chief Javeed Ahmad was monitoring the situation. Heavy police deployment has been made in the area.

Those killed, aged between 27 and 30, were identified as Ehsaan, Sartaaz, Anees and Rizwan. The injured were identified as Furkan, Ansar, Saleem, Aladdin, Shahnawaz and Sarfaraz.

Their furious family members went on the rampage, threw stones and burnt shops and vehicles. They also blocked a highway with the bodies. Two policemen were suspended for the violence. The police arrested six people.

UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav who battled his differences with his uncle on Friday announced a compensation of `20 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and `5 lakh each to those injured.

Angry locals complained that some people routinely teased schoolgirls but the police did not act despite many complaints. Similar incidents had sparked riots that ripped through Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in 2013.