Pani-puri feud brims over in UP, bombs & bullets fly

KANPUR: A dispute over who will be served pani-puris first escalated into clashes between neighbourhoods in a Kanpur suburb on Thursday with bullets and bombs flying, underscoring how chaat (snack) stalls in UP are turning out to be flashpoints of violence.

A dozen people were injured in the clashes in Kanpur Dehat and as many arrested. "Six persons each from both sides have been arrested. Heavy deployment of police has been made to ease tension," ASP Rajesh Pandey said.

Police said that the violence started on Wednesday when some youths from Fattepur Roshnai village had a quarrel with a young man running the pani-puri stall in Aryanagar area. The dispute snowballed into a fight. A police complaint was lodged.

Complainant alleges a dozen youths abused leading to fight

Complainant Chetan Singh of Aryanagar alleged that after he went to the cops, a dozen youths from Fattepur arrived and abused him and his group.

This sparked a fight between the two localities. When another armed group reached Aryanagar on Thursday, locals fired from rooftops and hurled traded bombs, police said. In 2021, similar clashes had broken out between a Baghpat chaat-seller and a dozen attackers. Videos had gone viral.