Clash Breaks Out Between 2 Groups Of Kanwariyas In UP, Cop Injured

A clash broke out between two groups of devotees here after a motorcycle allegedly damaged a kanwar (pot used for carrying Ganga water) on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway, leaving a head constable injured while trying to intervene, police said on Tuesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey said a video went viral on social media that falsely claimed that policemen were assaulted during the clash.

The incident occurred on the night of August 2 near Garam Dharam Hotel in the Daurala police station area, where some kanwariyas were resting with their kanwars in the lane reserved for pilgrims.

According to the SSP, Sonu and his associate were riding to Haridwar to collect Ganga water when their motorcycle allegedly struck and damaged a kanwar kept on the road, triggering an argument that escalated into a physical altercation.

Police from Daurala police station and the sector police in-charge reached the spot after receiving information about the clash.

As police were taking Sonu and his associate away in a government vehicle, some kanwariyas allegedly assaulted the duo.

"The persons seen being assaulted in the viral video are not policemen but Sonu and his associate," Pandey said, dismissing the claims circulating on social media.

He said a head constable sustained injuries to his hand, shoulder and abdomen while trying to defuse the situation and underwent a medical examination.

Based on a complaint lodged by the sector police in-charge, an FIR has been registered against the accused and the motorcycle involved has been seized, the SSP said.

Further legal action is underway, he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)