Aligarh violence toll goes upto 3; curfew on

The death toll in the violence that sparked off in Aligarh on Sunday night has risen to three even as indefinite curfew continued in five police stations of the town.

• Aligarh simmers over killing of BJP MLA's son

Senior Superintendent of Police Akhil Kumar confirmed the three deaths. He claimed that the situation was tense but under control.

Violence had erupted after a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader O P Gupta was shot killed by miscreants on Sunday.

"No sooner had word spread that Lala had been shot dead, BJP activists gathered in large numbers and began to target Muslim-dominated localities, and that sparked off widespread violence in several areas," Kumar said.

Two bodies were recovered from the area on Monday morning. The duo were identified as Bablu and Ajimullah.

Nine people were also injured in the clash between warring groups in Sasani Gate, Dehli Gate and Kotwali along with Bannadevi and Gandhi Park police station areas, where indefinite curfew has been clamped. Two persons who received stab wounds succumbed to their injuries in hospital on Monday.

Divisional Commissioner (Agra) Ashok Kumar, who dashed to Aligarh on Sunday night, told UNI that intelligence failure was the main reason for the breakout of violence.

"We have sought an intelligence team from the state capital to probe into the incident," Kumar said.

"In the interest of restoring peace and communal harmony, we had to clamp a curfew in several parts of the town. Paramilitary forces have also been deployed," he added.

According to a local BJP leader, who did not wish to be identified, "Some members of the other community have been systematically targeting prominent BJP leaders, three of whom were killed over the past month."

Senior police officials, including Assistant Director General (Law and Order) Padman Singh and Inspector General (Kanpur Zone) Rizwan Ahmed, have rushed to Aligarh to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, police have arrested two people -- Maskoor and Chote -- for the murder of the BJP leader.

Gupta was one of the accused in the April 5 communal violence in the area in which five people were killed in police firing following a clash over prayers in a temple.

With Agency Inputs