Varanasi,

29 July (HS): According to eyewitnesses, the situation escalated when a

kanwariya went into the Lucky Shoes Center to buy socks. The devotee reportedly

had a bleeding foot, which sparked an argument with the shopkeeper that quickly

escalated into a physical altercation. A Muslim shopkeeper allegedly attacked a

kanwariya in Varanasi's Rani Bazar, causing major disturbance and a road

roadblock by enraged devotees. The event occurred when the kanwariyas were

going through the neighborhood carrying holy water, and police filed a FIR

against six people based on the victims' complaints.

According to eyewitnesses, the scene escalated when a kanwariya entered Lucky

Shoes Center to buy socks. The devotee apparently had a bleeding foot, and an

argument erupted with the shopkeeper, which quickly escalated into a violent

confrontation. One of the eyewitness

kanwariyas stated he tried to assist but was also attacked by the attackers,

who allegedly yelled that 'Bol Bam' slogans were unacceptable to them.

The incident provoked immediate indignation

among fellow Kanwariyas, who assembled in huge numbers to block the

Jansa-Rajatalab route for about 30 minutes. The barricade garnered a large police

presence, with several units rushing to the scene to calm the situation and

avoid further escalation. Despite police

efforts to calm the demonstrators, kanwariyas and local people demanded the accused's

immediate arrest.

Tensions

rose when the Bajrang Dal's district president appeared on the scene and

pressed the police to intervene. A

furious altercation erupted between the leader and high police personnel,

including the DCP and ADCP, ending in his arrest. He was eventually liberated. Anil Barnwal, the village head of Rani Bazar,

stated that the party of kanwariyas was on their way from Rameshwaram via

Adalpura and Badi Sheetla. He verified

that the conflict started when a kanwariya sought to buy socks and was

attacked. The Varanasi Police Commissionerate

later released a press statement indicating that the incident occurred on July

28 in the Rajatalab neighborhood and entailed a quarrel between a kanwariya and

a merchant.

According

to the announcement, police responded quickly and got the situation under

control. The kanwariyas' written

complaint prompted the registration of a FIR, and six accused persons were

arrested. The announcement also stated

that a substantial police force has been deployed in the region, and the situation

is now quiet, with law and order in place.

Shivhari Meena, Additional Police Commissioner

(Law and Order), revealed that the local police's mobile unit arrived to the

scene as soon as they received information about the occurrence. He verified that a FIR was filed in response

to the kanwariyas' allegation, and that six people had been arrested. He went on to say that appropriate police

personnel had been sent to the location and that the situation was under

control.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi