AGRA: Curfew was imposed on Monday morning in areas falling within Rakabganj and Mantola police stations here, following widespread rioting between Jatavs (Scheduled Caste) and Muslims. One unidentified man was burnt alive. The police have arrested around 25 persons.

 

The most handy weapon used by the rioters was burning cans of leathersticking solution, used for fabricating footwear, a cottage industry here. Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel have been rushed to the trouble zone. District magistrate Prashant Trivedi and senior superintendent of police DS Chauhan, have been camping in the riot-affected areas.

 

The trouble started on Sunday night when Chowdhary Basheer, UP’s new minister of state for science and technology, along with his MLA wife, Ghazala Chowdhary, was visiting the house of one of their supporters in the Tila Sheikh Mannu locality. This locality is dominated by supporters of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

 

Bashir, elected on a BSP ticket from Agra East, was among those who’d left the party and joined the new Mulayam coalition. At the time of the visit, the minister was without his police escort.

 

While the visit was on, angry BSP supporters attacked the entourage, leading to the rioting.

 

Acting promptly, police rescued the minister and his wife from the rioters.

 

However, violence erupted again on Monday morning and some houses were set on fire.