JOIN USRumours trigger tension in Bawana before Bakr-Eid
Tension prevailed between two communities in outer Delhi’s Bawana ahead of Bakr-Eid even as police said they have the situation under control.
Locals said the tension has been prevailing since Thursday night when members of two communities were involved in a scuffle over rumours of cow slaughter, which the police said were false. Police dismissed reports of any violence and said some mischievous elements were trying to create tension ahead of the Bakr-Eid by misrepresenting facts.
“We brought members of both the communities face to face and made them have talks. They said they have no problem,” this newspaper was told by Vikramjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer).
He said police were keeping a strict vigil on miscreants and said “no incident of communal nature” had taken place on the ground.
The members of the Gauraksha Dal said they had been receiving several reports of cows being stolen ahead of the festival. Member Kuldeep suspected they were being stolen for slaughter. He suspected Muslims living in a slum in Bawana to be involved in it.
“We received information on Thursday night that Muslims living in that area were taking stray cows for slaughter. Some of us went to save the cows but those people began pelting stones at us,” alleged Kuldeep.
Police, however, denied any incident of cow slaughter. “There has not been even one incident of cow slaughter. Instead, some camels were being transported from Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh via Delhi. We received information and found nothing illegal about that. But some persons spread rumours that cows were being slaughtered,” said the DCP, adding the air has been cleared and the situation is now peaceful.