Aurangabad riots: Video shows cops walking with mob; probe ordered

A purported video of some police personnel walking with rioters during violence in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district has surfaced, prompting the state police to order an inquiry into it.

The video, purportedly showing policeman walking with the mob that was setting vehicles and property ablaze in the Aurangabad city on Friday night, has gone viral on social media.

"We have asked people (who have the video recording) to deposit the footage to the police. We will check its authenticity and appropriate action will be taken if we find their (policemen's) involvement," state Additional Director General (Law and Order) Bipin Bihari told PTI.

The official did not divulge further details, saying as of now it would be premature to comment on the video.

"We will examine each and every video pertaining to this case and action will be taken accordingly. As of now there is peace in the city and our probe in the case is going on," he said.

The process of registering cases was underway and arrests were being made, he said.

Bihari also said that a senior police official, who was seriously injured in the violence, has been shifted to Mumbai by air ambulance for further treatment.

Two persons - a 65-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy - were killed in clashes between groups of two communities over illegal water connections in Aurangabad on Friday.

The situation in the riot-hit city in the Marathwada region, about 350 km from Mumbai, was later brought under control, but certain restrictions were imposed, like the suspension of internet services and the enforcement of prohibitory orders under the CrPC section 144, banning assembly of people, the police said.

The clashes between groups of two communities started in Moti Karanja area around 10 pm on May 11 and spread to Gandhi Nagar, Raja Bazaar, Shah Ganj and Sarafa localities, a police official had earlier said.

The police fired in the air and lobbed teargas shells to control the situation, he said.

More than 60 people, including police personnel, were also injured in the violence, he said.

The elderly man who was killed in the clashes was trapped in his house when an adjoining shop was set on fire by rioters, the official said.

Around 100 shops were set on fire and more than 40 vehicles destroyed, he said.

Petrol bombs and kerosene-soaked balls made of rags were found during a search operation, the official said.

More than a dozen people were taken into custody for interrogation, he said.

According to sources in Aurangabad, tension was brewing in Moti Karanja area for the last few days as the municipal corporation was carrying out a drive against illegal water connections.

It got a communal colour when an illegal water connection at a place of worship in the area was removed, the sources added.