Two different minority communities clashed in the Saharanpur district of western Uttar Pradesh Saturday July 26,2014

Western Uttar Pradesh is burning again. Communal tension is simmering in the region, even as the state government offers lipservice against such repeated violence. 

On Saturday July 26,2014, at least three persons were killed and over two dozen were injured after two groups belonging to two different minority communities clashed in the Saharanpur district of western Uttar Pradesh. 

Besides civilians, a city magistrate and about half-a-dozen policemen were also injured.

Shops, petrol pumps and government properties were burnt, prompting police action and deployment of paramilitary forces

As the district administration rushed in with more troopers to control the situation, the grim reality of unabated violence clouded Saharanpur. In the end, the entire district was brought under curfew, with fear of more violence looming large over the region.

Saharanpur's violence has attracted political reactions, more so with the Assembly by-election not far away. The BJP blamed leaders of a particular community for the violence.

"As Assembly by-election will be held in Saharanpur, some community leaders are trying to polarise a particular vote bank in their favour, and that is why they planned such a violent act to disturb the law and order. Also, the district police administration is to be blamed as they were aware of the tension and did not take necessary steps to prevent it," Saharanpur BJP MP Raghav Lakhan Pal, who was earlier the MLA from the area told

Trouble began late on Friday night on Gurudwara Road in the Qutub Sheikh locality of the town, where a group belonging to a particular community decided to build on a disputed piece of land.

Litigation was going on in the High Court over this land, and a few days back the Court had decided in favour of the community which began construction on Friday.

Irked by the move, the other community objected. After a verbal spat, the situation turned ugly and violent. 

The rival groups soon started pelting stones and firing at each other.

The Shiv temple in Moradabad where it all began

Though the local police tried to control the situation by using mild force, trouble spread to other parts of the district. It forced the district administration to rush in more policemen.

On Saturday morning July 26,2014, the police recovered two bodies in the Mandi Police Circle. Both the bodies bore bullet marks

Forces from the neighbouring districts have also been roped in to control the situation. As far as the latest information, two persons have died and 17 have been injured. The inspector general of Meerut has taken charge of the situation, and we are monitoring the situation. The situation is tense but under control," ADG (law and order) Mukul Goel told

Note

Last year, Uttar Pradesh topped the list of riots with 247 cases of communal violence out of a total of 823 such incidents recorded in India.