The probe report has to be submitted within three weeks. Embarrassed over the failure of officials to contain communal riots, earlier on Sunday night the state government suspended Divisional Commissioner B.D. Singh, Deputy Inspector-General of Azamgarh range Prabhat Kumar, District Magistrate Hiramani Singh Yadav, Superintendent of Police Akhilshwar Ram Mishra and the Kotwali Inspector Bachcha Paswan.
Later in the night, Devesh Chaturvedi was appointed as the Azamgarh Divisional Commissioner and R.P. Singh made the Deputy Inspector-General of Police. Mukesh Meshram was named the new District Magistrate and Sujeet Pandey made the Superintendent of Police.
The officials were told to take charge immediately. The action was taken following a report submitted by Principal Secretary, Home, Alok Sinha and Director-General of Police Yashpal Singh, who visited Mau earlier to take stock of the situation. New DIG, R.P. Singh, yesterday told mediapersons that the administration would deal strictly with those behind the riots.
BJP leaders Kalyan Singh, Keshari Nath Tripathi and Lalji Tandon met Governor T.V. Rajeswar yesterday and submitted a memorandum demanding deployment of Army in the district. They had on Sunday tried to reach Mau but were prevented from doing so.
The governor was scheduled to visit Mau on Sunday but sources in the government said he was convinced by the chief minister not to do so as it would be interpreted in political terms. He was assured that urgent steps were being taken by the government to contain the situation.
Defying the shoot-on-sight orders and the red alert sounded by the state government, the rioters had a free run in Mau on Sunday as five more persons were killed.
Trains diverted
MAU — Fearing attacks, authorities yesterday diverted all trains passing through Mau as communal tensions continued to simmer and spread to nearby areas.
"No train is touching Mau from Sunday night as we were advised by the government to divert them. This is done invariably in all riot situations to avert any attack on trains," said divisional railway manager Amitabh Lal in Lucknow. Arsonists torched houses and shops in a locality in Bahraich, while the police opened fire to disperse violent mobs over alleged booth capturing in Basti town.
