Clash over gatecrashing of marriage function

Incident reported from Sadar Bazaar; no arrests made

Two groups allegedly clashed in Sadar Bazaar after one of them gatecrashed a marriage function early on Tuesday, the police said on Wednesday.

The bride’s father told the police that a group of inebriated men barged into their function and forcibly tried to dance with female guests. The police said the bride’s 85-year-old grandfather was thrashed by the accused when he asked the them to leave the venue.

As the word spread, supporters belonging to both groups started throwing stones at each other. Following this, one of the locals called the police control room around 1 a.m. A police team rushed to the spot.

Paramilitary personnel were called in later to bring the situation under control. Teams from other police stations in the north district were also called to prevent the issue from escalating. Officers from adjoining districts have been told to take charge of the situation.

Since the clash took place between members belonging to two communities, the police have beefed up security in the area. “A case under sections of rioting and causing hurt has been registered. We are scanning CCTV camera footage from the area to ascertain the sequence of events. No arrests have been made yet. A man sustained minor injuries and was discharged after first aid,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Jatin Narwal.

‘Minor incident’

The police have also roped in religious leaders from both communities to defuse tension. “We held a meeting with people from both the communities and they have sorted out everything. It was a minor issue...,” said Mr. Narwal.

The police said they will keep meeting both communities to ensure peace is maintained in the area. Locals said the police and the civic body cleared the stones from the road.