Communal tension erupts in Dehradun over interfaith ‘couple’

Communal tension erupted in Dehradun on Thursday after members of two communities had a confrontation over an alleged interfaith couple, including a 16-year-old minor girl, from Uttar Pradesh found roaming at the Dehradun railway station.

Members of both communities pelted stones at each other, vandalised parked vehicles outside the railway station and hurled communal slurs, according to the police.

According to the police, the girl from Badaun in UP had come to Dehradun to meet the man from Selaqui area of Dehradun. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel questioned them after seeing them roaming at the station. Suspecting something foul, they took the couple to their office at the railway station.

“When the RPF contacted the family members of the girl, they found out that the girl left her home without informing anyone. They (her family) had even filed a complaint at a police station in Badaun after their daughter went missing. The family members along with the UP police were immediatelt asked to reach Dehradun,” senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said.

“Meanwhile, after learning about the couple, members from both communities gathered at the railway station and engaged in heated arguments. It soon escalated into stone pelting and vandalism outside the railway station. The police quickly dispersed the crowd and brought the situation under control,” the SSP added.

The Uttarakhand Police have booked over 100 men, including 14 named, for their involvement in the violence. The accused included Bajrang Dal’s Dehradun coordinator Vikas Verma, Rohit Verma, Siddhant Badoni, Aman Swedia, Anil, Sunny, Rajesh, Azad Samaj Party’s Mahanagar president Aasif Qureshi, Shoaib, Nawaz Qureshi, Itad Khan (Sonu councilor), Aakib, Taufiq Khan, Arsh, all residents of Dehradun.

The FIR was registered under section 7 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act and 191 (2) (punishment for rioting), 221 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 223 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 324 (4) (Mischief causing damage to the amount of twenty thousand rupees and more but less than one lakh rupees) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“Our investigation is underway. We are checking CCTV footage to ascertain the identities of the accused who were not named in the FIR. The girl has been handed over to her parents,” superintendent of police (city) Pramod Kumar said.

Meanwhile, members of Bajrang Dal and other right-wing organisations on Friday staged a protest at Clock Tower over the incident.