2 arrested for rioting, 6 cops suspended for assaulting railway job aspirants in UP’s Prayagrag

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The Uttar Pradesh Police here on Wednesday arrested two people and lodged a case against around 1,000 unidentified persons in connection with the alleged rioting and blocking of the rail track at the local railway station by some job aspirants.

Six policemen were also suspended with immediate effect for using unnecessary force during the incident, which took place on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the search is on for another accused who allegedly made provocative remarks on social media.

A senior police official told reporters here that it appears that the accused had taken “money from some political parties” to create unrest. A police team has been constituted to probe the incident from this angle.

A video of the incident had surfaced on social media, following which Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had condemned the use of force against job aspirants, who had gathered there in protest against alleged irregularities in a railway recruitment exam.

The two people arrested in connection with the case have been identified as Pradeep Yadav and Mukesh Yadav while the search for another suspect, Rajesh Sachin, is on, police said.

Rajesh Sachin had made inflammatory remarks on social media, police added. Giving information to reporters at the Police Lines here, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Kumar said a video of the incident had surfaced on social media, in which some policemen were seen using unnecessary force.

Those policemen have been identified as Rakesh Bharti, SI Shailendra Yadav, SI Kapil Kumar Chahal and constables Mohammad Arif, Achhe Lal and Durvesh Kumar. They have been suspended with immediate effect and departmental action is being taken against them, he said.

The SSP said there is no quarrel between police and students and those who play with students’ future won’t be spared.

The SSP visited the areas where thousands of students live. He assured the students of fair action in the matter and appealed to them not to take law into their hand.

He said in connection with the Tuesday’s incident, they have registered a case against 1,000 unidentified miscreants under 13 serious sections.

The Prayagraj police will not take action against any innocent person, he assured. The SSP said that it appears that the miscreants “took money from some political parties to create unrest”.

An 11-member team has been constituted to investigate this aspect, he said. Meanwhile, a Congress candidate from here, Anugrah Narayan Singh, condemned police action against students. Singh said the unemployed youth are demanding their rights. Demanding rights is not a crime, he said.

Around 1.24 lakh students had applied for railway jobs under Group D since March, 2019, he said. The government suspended recruitment for three years and in such a situation, their anger is justified, the Congress leader said.

A large number of students had gathered on the railway track but were chased down by police. During this, some students allegedly pelted policemen with stones.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of assaulting students and vandalising their hostel in Prayagraj for protesting against unemployment.

The SSP had said some of them pelted policemen with stones and hid in their hostel nearby.

Police were trying to catch the culprits and some of the personnel used unnecessary force, which is visible in the video, he had said.