4 FIRs, 20 arrests after violence sparkedby seer’s death in Mathura; 20 cops hurt

Agra: Four FIRs were lodged and at least 20 people arrested on Sunday, a day after a 65-year-old seer's death in a road accident on Delhi-Agra NH in Mathura sparked widespread violence following rumours that Chandrashekhar alias ‘Farsa Wale Baba' was "killed by cow smugglers".The subsequent protest in the district's Chhatta area resulted in clashes with police, causing disruption to traffic on the busy highway for over three hours. Twenty police personnel were injured in stone pelting and several vehicles were damaged.According to police, FIRs were filed -- by both sides -- in three Mathura thanas. Cops named 27 accused and "250-300" unnamed for blocking NH and resorting to violence in their FIRs.SHO of Chhatta, Kamlesh Singh, filed one of them. In the FIR, he stated: "SHOs of different thanas in Mathura were among the 20 injured police personnel. Seven vehicles, including those of ADM, SDM and SP (rural), were damaged." The case was registered under BNS 109 (attempt to murder), 190 (unlawful assembly), 191 (rioting) and 132 (criminal force to deter public servant).SI, Madan Singh, filed a separate FIR in Barsana against prime accused Daksh Chaudhary and his associates for entering the district and spreading rumours with the intention of "rioting". Daksh hails from Ghaziabad. He was later arrested.Another FIR was lodged in Kosikalan by the seer's followers. The FIR under BNS 281 (rash driving) and 106 (1) (death by negligence) named truck driver Khursheed Anwar, who also died in the same accident. A fourth FIR was filed by VHP member Kanhaiya Lal Agrawal. He accused "anti-social elements and cow smugglers" of provoking the stone pelting incident.Mathura SSP, Shlok Kumar, said, "More miscreants are being identified via CCTV footage, and they will be arrested soon. Preliminary investigation found that Daksh Chaudhary, who came to Mathura from outside, spread rumours and obstructed govt work. Daksh and three others were arrested. Many others were also held."Amid dense fog, around 4am on Saturday, Chandrashekhar, who used to run cow shelters in Mathura, reached the highway stretch in Kosikalan area and stopped a Nagaland-registered container truck on information that "cows were being transported". The container was found carrying toiletries. While inspecting, a speeding truck, driven by Anwar, hit the stationary vehicle and went on to run over the seer.