BAREILLY: Police on Saturday lodged three FIRs at Bithri Chainpur police station and two FIRs at Cantonment police station here over disputes related to tazia processions. BJP MLA from Bithri Chainpur Rajesh Mishra alias Pappu Bhartaul has been booked under serious sections in two FIRs lodged at Bithri and Cantonment.In the first incident, which took place on Friday noon, residents of Simra, Kankhaiya and Khajuriya villagers belonging to the majority community had tried to block a tazia route by parking their tractor-trolleys on the village road. According to police, Kalari and Chandpur villagers were decided that they will bury tazia at their village but Khajuriya and other villagers were thinking that the tazia would pass through their villages. So, they wanted to block the road. After handling the situation by police and after the interrogation of villagers, some people confessed that they were doing this on the MLA’s order. Police lodged an FIR against 46 named and some unidentified persons in this matter.In the second incident, which took place on Friday evening, when Kalari and Harun Nagla village’s tazia were passing along MLA Mishra’s office, the latter, his son Vicky Bhartaul, Gaurav Singh Arman Vijay Yadav , Vinod Diwaker and 25 unidentified persons had blocked the tazia and ordered the people to go back. Around 10:34 pm, a crowd of members of the minor community had blocked NH 24 and demanded they be allowed to bury the tazia at Umaria village.Heavy police force was deployed and an FIR was lodged against the MLA, his son, three aides and 25 men, under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other sections of IPC at Cantonment police station.Bithri Chainpur police has lodged a total of three FIRs against members of both communities including the MLA, 72 named and 550 unidentified people. On Saturday morning, police teams arrested a total of 20 accused in this case.Superintendent of police (city) Abhinandan Singh said, “After identifying the persons we have lodged FIRs. Our police force was deployed but we did not assault anybody.”MLA Mishra said, “Police had assaulted common villagers and I had raised objections to it.”Meanwhile, Mishra along with other party MLAs and his hundreds of supporters reached circuit house in Bareilly on Saturday night to demand suspension of SSP and SP (city) over the FIRs. “Police conducted raids in my house and also of my innocent neighbours who had nothing to do with the incident. We want suspension of SSP and SP (city),” said Mishra.

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