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| Pilibhit tense after Varun courts arrest | | | Early Times Report
PILIBHIT: Police on Saturday fought pitched battles with BJP workers and saffron activists backing Varun Gandhi and resorted to firing and lathi
charge on stone-pelting protesters in all of which more than 20 persons, including five policemen, were injured.
Varun's mother and Pilibhit MP Maneka Gandhi, who came here to meet him in the jail, lent a communal touch by alleging that a Muslim police inspector injured 25 of Varun's supporters.
Principal Secretary (Home) Fateh Bahadur Singh refused to comment on her allegations in Lucknow saying the district administration was competent to react to it.
Tension prevailed in the town as thousands of Varun's supporters gharaoed the district jail where he was taken after he surrendered before a local court which remanded him to judicial custody till Monday in the case against him for his alleged inflammatory communal speeches.
The unruly mob allegedly attacked officials, destroyed police vehicles and indulged in bouts of stone throwing. Police returned the missiles and lathi charged the protesters who repeatedly attacked the personnel.
As the situation failed to subside, police resorted to firing in which a number of people were injured. Maneka alleged that 45 people were injured, 25 of them by one particular inspector.
Claiming that she has been "keeping an eye on him for quite some time", Maneka said she was "saddened" by the police action and appealed to all sides to maintain calm.
While clashes continued till late in the evening with incidents of sporadic violence, the police sought to bring the situation under control by firing several rounds in the air, lobbed teargas shells and cane charged the mob, which continued to its siege of the jail.
BJP leaders alleged that the police fired several rounds on the party workers. The protesters also attacked houses of police and jail personnel located within the district jail premises.
Senior officials including IG Bareilly Javed Akhtar had reached the spot and reinforcement was ordered.
The agitated BJP workers, who were staging dharna outside the district jail, were demanding Gandhi's release and action against a police inspector they alleged was responsible for firing and injuring several persons.
Reports said that some persons have been detained by the police for creating trouble.
Maneka charged the police with committing excess and atrocities on innocent BJP workers.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that it was closely monitoring situation in Pilibhit and appropriate action would be taken at appropriate time.
"The district administration will deal with the situation. Whatever is required will be done," Chief Electoral Office Anuj Kumar Bishnoi told reporters in Lucknow.
Bishnoi said that the entire proceedings of the day's development had been videographed.
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