Kasganj: Place of worship gate set afire; 2 cops suspended

Tension resurfaced in Kasganj today as some miscreants tried to disrupt peace by setting afire the gate of a place of worship but the police swiftly swung into action and the flames were extinguished, an official said.

Following the incident, two constables were suspended over alleged laxity while a large contingent of police personnel was deployed on the spot to ensure that there is no more trouble in the western Uttar Pradesh town which recently saw communal clashes.

"Early this morning, in Ganjdudwara area of the city, some anti-social element set afire the gate of a place of worship. Police swung into action and extinguished the flames," Superintendent of Police Piyush Srivastava told PTI.

Srivastava along with District Magistrate RP Singh rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation.

"A large contingent of the UP police and PAC personnel was deployed and there is peace in the area. The matter is being investigated," the SP said.

He said constables Harisharan and Nagendra were suspended for laxity in discharging their duties.

Kasganj witnessed communal clashes after a youth died during violence that followed initial skirmishes during a 'Tiranga Yatra' taken out by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

A 22-year-old youth, Chandan Gupta, was shot dead which led to a spiral of violence in which at least three shops, two buses and a car were torched. UP Governor Ram Naik had called the Kasganj violence a "blot" on the state.