Fresh violence in curfew-bound Aligarh takes toll to 7

Aligarh, Apr 8 (UNI) In a fresh incident of violence in this curfew-bound city, a person was shot dead in Tantanpada Gali under Delhi Gate area this afternoon taking the toll to seven.

The middle-aged person was allegedly fired at from close range.

However, details of the incident were not immediately available.

Police had sent the body for autopsy, official sources said.

The murder followed stray incidents of stone pelting, which were continuing since yesterday. Curfew remained in force in the riot-hit town for the third day today.

Meanwhile, the two-member high-level committee comprising principal secretary agriculture Arun Kumar Mishra and DG Police Headquarters S K Rizvi to probe the outbreak of communal violence has started its job. It has been asked to submit report within a week.

Curfew was imposed in Kotwali, Sasni Gate, Delhi Gate, Banna Devi and Gandhi Park areas of this communally-sensitive west UP town on April six. Only four casualties have been officially confirmed, while three other deaths were attributed to personal enmity.

At least 120 persons had so far been arrested in connection with the communal flare- up, while a compensation of Rs five lakh each has been announced to the kin of the deceased by the state government.

An additional sum of Rs 2.5 lakh compensation was announced by the Centre as well.

Senior police officials including UP DGP, ADG (Law and Order) and IG were camping here to monitor the situation.

Taking serious note of violence, UP government has already suspended six officers inlcuding DM R K Singh, SSP Ajay Anand, SP City S K Verma, ADM Satya Bhan, Circle Officer M P Singh and an SHO.

Bhuvanesh Kumar and Akhil Kumar had been posted as the new DM and SSP respectively.

Rapid Action Force (RAF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and civil police had been strengthened to control the situation, an official spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Maulana Bukhari, the Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, was stopped at Ghaziabad en route to Aligarh.

UNI SB/MB VS PA KP1510