One killed, many injured in clash at Khirva

MEERUT: A man was killed and about 12 injured as a heated exchange led to violence on Thursday morning at Khirva village, about 16 km from Meerut district headquarters. It was estimated that some 50 rounds were fired; rods and sticks were used to settle scores. The man who died succumbed to a bullet injury.
A huge contingent of policemen were deployed to keep the peace.The violence erupted as two groups, each owing allegiance to local strongmen with a history of rivalry, Shah Abbas and Irfan Ahmad, ran into each other at a tea shop near Hussaini Chowk. Some snide comments set off an argument, which erupted into violence.
Hundreds of men were soon on the streets armed with country-made weapons, lathis and rods. Stones were pelted in the melee.
Rumours quickly spread, attributing the violence to a Shia-Sunni clash. Many huddled indoors in fear. The village is divided in 40:60 ratio, between Shias and Sunnis.
Senior police officers including DIG Ramit Sharma and SP (rural) MM Baig reached the village with a large force to restore order.
SP (rural) MM Baig explained that it was not a clash between communities, but a fight for supremacy between two groups that owed allegiance to two different local strongmen. “Village panchayat elections are round the corner. The atmosphere is charged. Shah Abbas and Irfan Ahmad have a long-running history of animosity, and the slightest provocation set off mayhem.”
He said one man, 30-year-old Raees Abbas, sustained grievous bullet wounds and could not be saved. Abbas’s nephew Mohd Abbas has taken a complaint to police and an FIR has been lodged at Sardhana police station against seven people, of whom only one has so far been arrested.
There are several people under treatment in local hospitals after being injured in the clash, the police officer said.