By Scroll Staff
Communal violence erupted in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Tuesday following an altercation that began when a Hindu and a Muslim youth got into an argument over parking, The Indian Express reported.
Police said that an argument broke out in Gauchar when the Hindu youth parked his scooter in front of a shop owned by a Muslim man. “The incident took place on Tuesday around 9.30 am,” the newspaper quoted Superintendent of Police Sarvesh Panwar as saying.
“An altercation started when the shop owner reportedly asked the man not to park the vehicle there,” Panwar said. “Soon others gathered and beat up the Hindu man. The man went to the police and was sent for a medical check-up.”
However, members of a few Hindu outfits gathered and organised a march soon after, Pawar added. Subsequently, the mob vandalised shops and damaged signboards, The Indian Express quoted unidentified police officials as saying.
Tensions remained high in the area till around 2 pm, the officials said.
“Following the altercation, a large crowd from the two communities gathered at the Gauchar outpost, leading to tension in the area,” the Chamoli Police stated, according to The Indian Express. “The police managed to pacify both groups and brought the situation under control.”
This story was originally published in scroll.in. Read the full story here.
