A communal clash left more than 20 people, including six police personnel injured in Loni area of Ghaziabad district on Thursday.
The two communities traded gunfire and indulged in arson at about 8 pm when five officers of the district administration went to Ram Park colony of Loni to remove encroachment from public land. The encroachers had constructed a religious structure some time back.
Arson and riot in Loni
The locals first tried to resist them and then went on rampage. They burnt one police gypsy, three buses of Uttar Pradesh Roadways and several other vehicles. A police post along with a number of vends located in the area were also put on fire. The police have detained as many as ten people in this connection.
"Local clerics resisted the officials from proceeding further. When the administrative officials moved ahead to remove the encroachment, two 'imams' of the mosque called upon the members of the community residing in nearby houses to take positions and resist the government officials," said a local.
Clash ensued
A clash ensued between the locals and the police. Some people pelted the police with stones from their rooftops.
Traffic disrupted
An angry mob also disrupted traffic on Delhi-Saharanpur road. A number of people who were passing by the area also fell victim to sudden upsurge of violence and were injured. Thousands of people got stuck in the traffic jam as it took hours to restore traffic in the area.
SSP Ghaziabad, Deepak Rattan told MiD DAY that there were no casualties in the incident. "Four people were injured. Now the situation is under control. We have deployed about 500 police officials in the area to control the situation. Injured were admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and some local hospitals of Ghaziabad," he said.
| Clash over land |
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* Clash ensued when five officers of the district administration went to Ram Park colony of Loni to evacuate a public land from the illegal possession |
