Meerut: UP police has booked BJP MP from Saharanpur, Raghav Lakhanpal, along with his supporters for allegedly instigating rioters in Doodhli village of Saharanpur where communal violence during an Ambedkar Jayanti procession left many injured on Thursday morning.An ex-MLA of the party, Rajiv Gumbar, was also booked on Friday. Another FIR was lodged against Lakhanpal for “leading a crowd of hundreds of men who attacked the residence of the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Saharanpur and damaged property there”.Heavy stone pelting and firing had taken place between hundreds of members of two communities in Doodhli over an Ambedkar Jayanti procession. A number of shops were targeted while a few vehicles were also damaged including those of mediapersons and police. Lakhanpal had allegedly instigated the crowd to force its way into the village despite the fact that no permission had been given for the procession.Speaking to TOI, SSP Love Kumar said, “We have filed an FIR against 12 men each from both the communities, apart from Saharanpur MP Raghav Lakhanpal and ex-MLA Rajiv Gumbar. Besides, 300 unidentified persons have also been booked. The MP has been named in the FIR for leading and instigating crowds. Similarly, the MP has been booked in the case about the attack and vandalism at the SSP’s residence."Kumar added: "Lakhanpal was present when furniture was being broken and CCTV cameras were being damaged by the mob. For that, 11 people have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the IPC.”Lakhanpal was defiant about the FIR and blamed police for failing to protect victims of the riot. “The SSP was unable to sort out the dispute before it escalated, and then failed to provide security to people caught in the stone pelting. Now he is trying to cover his tracks by finding fault in me,” he alleged.

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