12 injured in Ghaziabad clash

According to the police, the locals who suffered injuries were admitted to several hospitals in the area, while the policemen were shifted to the Civil Hospital in Ghaziabad.

Four companies of armed police personnel and policemen from Sahibabad police station were deployed to restore peace in the area. Police said at least 500 people were involved in the incident.

“There were differences between the two communities over the construction of a structure around the mosque near Nithori Chowki. The land on which the proposed structure was to come up belonged to the Land Management Committee of the Panchayat. The two groups were called to the police station this morning and the problems were resolved,” said a police official.

“However, the situation flared up when the group supporting the construction fired in the air to scare three members of the other group on their way back from the police station,” SP (City) Vijay Bhushan said.

“Both groups were armed with lathis and sharp-edged weapons. They smashed the windshields of several vehicles and set several others on fire. A bus of the Uttar Pradesh Road Transport Corporation, along with a truck, a car and two motorbikes were set on fire,” an official of the Loni police station said.

The atmosphere was tense till late in the night and ADM Vishal Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police of Ghaziabad Deepak Ratan were present at the spot along with other officials. Eight people have been arrested and raids were on to round up the others.

While six of the injured were rushed to the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital in Delhi, four were taken to Navjeevan Hospital in Ghaziabad. Two of them are said to be in serious condition. The circle officer of border area Satpal Singh suffered serious injuries. Additional forces are expected to be deployed during the night, police said.