Violence renews in UP town after youth's killing

Lucknow, Oct 23  Violence again erupted in Kannauj, the parliamentary constituency of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife, and the situation continued to be tense on Friday, a day after a youth was killed, police said.

Amid heavy police deployment in the district, mobs vandalized many business establishments in some areas including Makrandnagar and looted some shops.

Many vehicles that were passing by were also targeted.

Violence broke out in Kannauj late Thursday when a youngster was accidentally sprayed with dry colour (gulaal). His friends bashed up the youth though he tried to explain that this had happened as colour was being thrown during the procession to immerse the idols of Goddess Durga.

Many in the crowd later told the police that soon after people from a community started harassing some girls and women when the procession was at Lakhan Tiraha.

To disperse the unruly mob, Police Inspector Bhullan Yadav told the police to move the procession at speed, prompting people to bash him up. Senior police officials then rushed to the spot to control the situation but by then some miscreants fired at the procession from roof tops in the Chudi Wali Gali.

Mahesh Kushwaha and Apoorva Gupta received gun shot wounds. Gupta is undergoing treatment, but Mahesh succumbed to his injuries. Following the incident, religious procession and prayers were stopped as a mark of protest.

"Tension is high but the situation is under control," a home department official told IANS.

Some people have been arrested with regard to their role in the incident, the official added.