Twelve people, including two women, were injured after a violent clash erupted over a long-standing land dispute at Lalwala village in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district’s Deoband area on Saturday morning, police said.
All those injured were admitted to a government hospital. A heavy police force was subsequently deployed in the area to bring the situation under control following stone-pelting between the members of two communities, they added. According to officials and locals, tension had been brewing between the two sides for a long time over a disputed two-bigha land.
DSP Abhitesh Singh said, “The law and order situation has been restored in the village. Primary investigation suggests a land dispute resulted in a fight among two groups. Further action will be taken following a detailed probe”. However, no FIR had been lodged in this connection by the time of filing of this report.
Violence erupted when one group allegedly attempted to take possession of the land. What began as a verbal altercation quickly escalated into a violent confrontation, with both groups allegedly pelting stones at each other. Panic spread across the village as residents rushed to protect themselves, police said.
Local police teams reached the spot after receiving information. However, as the situation turned grim, police personnel from several stations across the district, along with the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), were deployed there to restore order.
