Hamirpur: Procession stopped midway last week, taken out amid tight security

The DIG further said that as a precautionary measure, over 100 residents of the area were “bound down” against creating trouble. “Four drone cameras were also used to keep a tab,” he said.

Station House Officer of Maudaha police station, Raj Kumar Singh said, “Residents of Maudaha locality have been taking out a two-day religious procession in the name of Kans Mela for the last several years. The first day of the procession, on September 23, ended peacefully. On the second day, people pelted stones at cops, after which the procession was stopped midway. Since locals were demanding that the procession be taken out as it was an old ritual, we decided to do so on Monday after making all arrangements.”

On September 25, seven policemen including Additional Superintendent of Police, Hamirpur, Lal Sahab Yadav, were injured when some people pelted stones on them. They had also damaged a police van. Police used force and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Later, on September 28, the state government had transferred Hamirpur’s district magistrate and superintendent of police.  “So far, 23 persons have been arrested in connection with the September 25 incident. Efforts are on to trace others involved in the incident,” said SHO Singh.