Uttarkashi Tensions: Policemen Baton Charge; Section 163 on Mob.
Uttarkashi, India: Tensions gripped Uttarkashi after clashes over a mosque related controversy on Thursday led to a police baton charge on protestors. Several were reportedly injured in the fracas, including eight police officers and 27 protestors. In response, Section 163 of the BNS Act was imposed on the area and additional security forces have been deployed to keep the situation in check.
Officials say that when protesters attempted to deviate from the route of march to a place with significant police barricades that obstructed access to the mosque, the rally sanctioned by the Hindu outfit Sanatan Dharm Rakshak Dal gained momentum. The district administration had permitted the rally on some conditions like a fixed route and time in order not to cause minimal disruption. However, protesting crowds tried to burst through the police blockade, which led to a clash.
The rally had been given permission, but some elements insisted on taking an alternate route, leading to conflict, said Amit Srivastava, Superintendent of Police in Uttarkashi. He also added that when police tried to restrain the crowd, some protestors began pelting stones and police used mild force to disperse them.".
Eight policemen got injured in the clash, and two of them were said to be seriously hurt. The protesting crowd, most of whom gathered at Hanuman Chowk, wanted to march on to the mosque while the police erected barricades on Bhatawari Road at the Vishwanath intersection in order to stop the procession.
Tensions ran high, and the protesters began forcing their way through broken barricades. The police were left with no choice but to intervene by baton charge to disperse the crowd. The protestors retorted by pelting stones at the policemen, leaving a few injured on both sides. Officials tried their best to control the situation but the protesting agitators ignored the police directives that led to further unrest.
Running, the protesters broke into a baton charge; many of them, gathered at the office of the district collector, raised slogans against the district administration. Some bands of protesters started to move towards local markets, picketing shops owned by other community members. This created mass hysteria among the shopkeepers; many of them shut their shops.
Section 163 Deployed to Patrol Assemblies
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The district administration under District Magistrate Dr. Mehrban Singh Bisht included Section 163 of the Indian Citizen Safety Code across Uttarkashi to regulate the situation. The section bans any gathering more than five people and rallies, processions, public demonstrations, and 'loudspeakers' in public places till further notice. Legal action will be taken against violators of Section 163, according to the administration.
Polcity appeal for peace, asking rally attendees to go about using legal procedures and remain calm. However, the tension has still not died down in the area, hence disrupting normal schedules in local malls. In a city, most shops are shut due to a bandh called by Hindu organizations in protest against the police action. The shutdown has affected daily schedules, and even the traveling people face difficulties in getting drinking water.
Greater Security and Vigilance
The police and the district administration are keeping a keen eye on the situation, monitoring sensitive places to prevent such incidents from taking place. Authorities have summoned additional forces to maintain law and order, and officials hope that life will soon go back to normalcy.
