New Delhi: Reacting to the recent clashes in Kasganj, which claimed one life, Bareilly DM Raghavendra Vikram Singh stirred a controversy with a Facebook post saying “it has become a trend” to raise anti-Pakistan slogans in Muslim-dominated areas.
As his post got traction and caused a furore, he deleted it. He has now put another message explaining his 'rivaz' post. He said it was written in the context of Kanwar yatra in Bareilly.
Singh said he went public with his observation to encourage academic discussion, but it has unfortunately taken a different turn.
“Extremely sad. It seems lot of people have problems and difficulties with the post. It was not intended to hurt sentiments. Muslim are our brothers we have the same blood and DNA. We didn’t know how to get them back. It is better we understand this as soon as possible, as it is going to good for the district, state and the country,” wrote Singh on his Facebook post.
Earlier in the day, he questioned the motive behind such demonstrations in Muslim-dominated ares.
“Ajab rivaz ban gaya hai. Muslim mohallo me jabardasti julus le jao aur Pakistan murdabad ke nare lagao. Kyon bhai, ve Pakistani hain kya? Yehi yahan Bareilly mein Khailam mein hua tha. Fir patharav hua, mukadme likhe gaye… (A strange trend has started of late. Take out processions through Muslim-dominated localities and raise anti-Pakistan slogans. Why? Are these people Pakistani? The same thing had happened in Khailam village of Bareilly. Then stones were pelted, FIRs lodged),” a Times of India report quoted from Singh’s Facebook post.
Last week in Kasganj, volunteers of organisations like the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu Mahasabha and ABVP had taken out the rally - 'Tiranga Yatra'. After passing through the Kotwali area, they were about to pass through a Muslim dominated area when some people objected to its passage.
This resulted in heated exchange of words and eventually escalated to firing in which a local youth, Chandan Gupta lost his life.
At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after Gupta was killed in clashes following stone-pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day.
DM Singh expressed anger and said that he was hurt at what had happened in the “name of nationalism”.
In another Facebook post, which is no longer visible on the Bareilly district magistrate’s profile, he further asked why “don’t we wave the tricolour and raise slogans against China, which is a bigger enemy”.
Meanwhile, reacting to the recent violence, Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said, “The incident means that anti-national elements cannot tolerate Tiranga Yatra. The UP government is taking strict actions. Such incidents will not be tolerated and it should also not be politicised.”
Under fire over the violence, the UP government went into damage control mode and shunted out Kasganj Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar Singh to "a less significant post", according to officials.
Piyush Srivastava was appointed the new Kasganj SP, officials said. Singh was sent to Police Training School, Meerut, in the same rank, they said.
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