Situation under control, but patrolling still on: Moradabad DIG

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) of Moradabad, Gulab Singh, said here on Saturday that the situation is under control a day after clashes between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protesters and the police on the Kanth railway tracks.

He said that patrolling near the track is still on and police has been deployed to avoid further incidents of disturbance.

Singh told ANI that despite enough force, the protesters managed to create tension in Kanth.

"We deployed sufficient force in Kanth, but despite that the protesters violated peace, stopped the train, pelted stones and injured the police. We didn't use force on public to hurt them. We tried to maintain peace. There is patrolling on railway track. I appeal to the people to maintain peace. The force will continue to be deployed till today and we will investigate the matter," said Singh.

Meanwhile, Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM) Hitendra Malhotra informed about the current situation of the area.

Since the yesterday's incident no train has been moved on the Kanth track. Some of our fittings were also removed from the track like pan role clips but they were later fitted and after moving a pilot train on the track in the morning we ensured its safety in both directions. Now we have started goods train on it. As far as passenger trains are concerned, they will be moving from tomorrow but on different routes and in comparatively more time," said Malhotra.

"We are in contact with the civil administration and the SSP and as soon as they direct us about the safety of passengers we will divert the trains to the normal route," he added.

Yesterday, BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sangeet Som and five others were released from police custody after being detained earlier for heading a Mahapanchayat in Kanth near Moradabad to protest against the administration's decision to remove loudspeaker from a temple.

Som was one of the legislators booked and later released for inciting the last year's bloody religious clashes in Muzaffarnagar that killed about 60 people, according to reports.

BJP protesters later clashed with the police in Moradabad following the detention of party MLAs and Moradabad District Magistrate Chandrakant suffered serious injuries amid clashes.