BAREILLY: Two more incidents of communal tension were reported from the city as trouble arose once again over the issue of taking out a Janmasthami procession in Chandpur Jogiyan locality on Monday night.
In the other instance, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) office bearers were stopped from taking out a procession at Bithri Chainpur area by police on the ground that they had not sought proper permission.
As per reports, the rural wing of VHP was carrying out the procession along with a tableaux of Lord Krishna in 33 villages of Bithri Chainpur tehsil of Bareilly district to commemorate 50 years of its organization’s foundation. However, members of a community objected to this, after which police asked the VHP participants to show the No Objection Certificate (NOC). As VHP members were unable to produce it, police stopped them from proceeding.
Talking to TOI, media relation officer of VHP district, Dr Shailesh Chauhan said, “As it was not a regular procession and our organization is celebrating it at national level, we don’t need to get an NOC from local authorities. However, after request from local police, we decided to complete our (procession) without tableaux.”
In the other incident, members of a community opposed the taking out of a procession carrying tableaux on the occasion of Janmashtami in Chandrapur Jogiyan village under CB Ganj police station, saying that this was a new ritual started by the other community.
On receiving information, a large number of policemen along with several officials reached the spot and tried to pacify the agitated members.
Police officials also asked the members taking out the procession to show the permission letter, which they could not produce. The members were then not allowed to continue.