At least 11 people, including an 8-year-old boy, have lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh as the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turned violent in the State, officials said on December 21.
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After Friday prayers, protesters clashed with police at several places in the state and hurled stones and torched vehicles, they said.
While Lucknow and Aligarh were peaceful after the prayers, clashes were reported from nearly 20 districts, including Firozabad, Bhadohi, Bahraich, Farrukhabad, Gorakhpur and Sambhal.
Four deaths were reported from Meerut district and two from Kanpur, while the boy was killed in a stampede in Varanasi when a violent mob was being chased by policemen. Two people lost their lives in Bijnor and one each in Sambhal and Firozabad, the officials said.
Inspector General, Kanpur range, Mohit Agarwal said the two people dead in the district have been identified.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who on December 20 night issued an appeal not to pay heed to rumours and help maintain peace and order, is keeping a close watch on the situation and is reported to have cancelled all his programmes outside Lucknow.
Director General of Police O.P. Singh on December 20 said that 50 policemen were seriously injured in the violence.
Clashes with police were also reported from Bhadohi, Bahraich, Amroha, Farurukhabad, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Hapur, Hathras, Bulandshahr, Hamirpur and Mahoba districts.
Internet services were suspended across major cities in Uttar Pradesh, following state government orders.
These included Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Agra, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Bareli, Firozadad, Pilibhit, Rampur, Saharanpur, Shamli, Sambhal, Amroha, Mau, Azamgarh and Sultanpur.
