Violent communal clashes erupted in Dehradun, Uttarakhand late Thursday night, September 26, after an incident of an inter-religious couple found at Dehradun railway station. Several individuals have been booked including far-right Bajrang Dal workers in connection with stone pelting during the clashes.
The incident unfolded when a 16-year-old Muslim girl from Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh arrived to meet a Hindu man and was witnessed arguing with another passenger at the railway station which caught the attention of other passengers.
Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel intervened and took the couple into custody for their safety. On reaching out to the girl’s family, the police discovered that the girl had been reported missing a day earlier.
Speaking on the case, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ajai Singh said, “The girl had left her home without informing anyone. Her family filed a missing report at Badaun police station. They along with the UP police were asked to reach Dehradun immediately.”
The revelation prompted members from both communities to gather at the railway station. The Muslim group wanted the girl to return claiming she was a minor. However Hindu outfits claimed that the girl was not a minor and that instead of sending her back to her family, she should be allowed to do ‘ghar wapsi’ and started raising slogans, as reported by The Indian Express.
The confrontation quickly escalated into violence. The clashes involved stone pelting and vandalism of parked two-wheelers near the parcel house and attempted to set them on fire. “The police took swift action, dispersed the agitated crowd and brought the situation under control,” the SSP added.
According to FIR, a government SUV from the Patel Nagar police station was also damaged in the commotion.
The officer further stated over 100 men have been booked including Bajrang Dal’s Dehradun coordinator Vikas Verma, Rohit Verma, Siddhant Badoni, Aman Swedia, Anil, Sunny, Rajesh, Azad Samaj Party’s Mahanagar president Aasif Qureshi, Shoaib, Nawaz Qureshi, Itad Khan (Sonu councillor), Aakib, Taufiq Khan, Arsh, all residents of Dehradun.
To curb further untoward, additional forces were deployed and began reviewing CCTV footage to identify other suspects involved in the clash. Meanwhile, the minor was reportedly returned to her family, while police efforts continued to address the fallout from this incident.
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