Three people were killed and more than a dozen injured after clashes broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district on Friday following an incident where a schoolgirl was harassed, reported PTI. A police officer said a sub-inspector and a constable were suspended after the violence while Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Daljeet Choudhary confirmed that five people have been arrested.
The clashes erupted after local residents protested against a group of boys for harassing a school girl. It snowballed after one of the boys accused reportedly beat up a passerby who raised objections to them harassing the girl. The police said the person beaten up then narrated the incident to others and clashes began after supporters of the boys also gathered in large numbers. Of those injured, five have been taken to Meerut for treatment.
Later, the families of the deceased staged a demonstration on the Delhi-Paudi national highway, reported The Indian Express. They placed the bodies on the highway, blocking traffic. The families also pelted stones and set several shops and vehicles on fire.
ADG Choudhary and Home Secretary Mani Prasad Mishra went to the area to bring the situation under control, reported India Today. Choudhary said, “This is an unfortunate incident. The culprits will be booked under the National Security Act.” According to The Indian Express, security personnel from five police stations along with the Provincial Armed Constabulary have been deployed to keep the situation under check.
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