It's A 'Trend' Now To Forcefully Enter Muslim Localities And Raise Anti-Pakistan Slogans, Says Bareilly District Magistrate On Kasganj Clash

Bareilly District Magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh, in a Facebook post shared on Monday, asked why it has become a 'trend to forcefully enter Muslim localities and raise Anti-Pakistan slogans'. 

Singh's remarks comes against the backdrop of communal clashes in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj city where one has died, and shops and buses torched in clashes between two communities. 

At least 112 people have been arrested till now for the riots that broke out on Saturday after a youth died during a clash on Friday.

The clash broke out after an unauthorised bike rally was taken out by RSS-affiliated students' group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the city to commemorate the Republic Day through a Muslim locality where Residents were organising an event to unfurl the tricolor.Clashes broke following arguments over residents being asked to clear way to let the bike rally pass. 

"Ajab rivaz ban gaya hai. Muslim mohallo me jabrdasti 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 very strange trend has started of late. Take out processions by force 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)," the Times Of India quoted Singh as saying on his Facebook post.

He further said that the fringe outfits are tearing down the social fabric of the country in the name of nationalism. 

Taking to Facebook, Bareilly DG compared the Kasganj violence with the one that happened in Khailam, a Muslim dominated area, where clashes took place when members from the Hindu community carried their Kanwar yatra through the area. 

During the Kanwar yatra last year, a clash between the Kanwar devotees and members from the Muslim community broke out after the former passed through Khailam. Subsequently, police and ITBP jawans deployed to prevent any further untoward incident, were injured in the clash. 

Singh also asked why Pakistan as an enemy nation is reiterated when China is a bigger enemy of the country. 

"Cheen to bada dushman hai, tiranga lekar Cheen murdabad kyon nahin? (China is a bigger enemy to us. Why isn't the tricolour being waved and anti-China slogans shouted)?,"  he reportedly said.

(Outlook could not access the Facebook post) 

Responding to the alleged posts, UP Finance Minister and MLA from Bareilly City, Rajesh Agarwal, told the Hindustan Times, “I have not read the comment posted by DM Bareilly yet. But considering that he is a former army officer, I can say that he will never say anything against our country or in favour of Pakistan.”