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A damaged car after the violence at Fancy Bazar on Tuesday. Pictures by UB Photos |
July 31: City police are planning to be “stricter” before giving permission to cultural functions after a programme at Fancy Bazar last night turned ugly and an angry crowd threw stones and injured at least 10 persons.
Tension erupted during a devotional programme organised by Fancy Bazar Bolbom Samity at Hem Baruah Road in which a devotional artiste from Bihar was invited to perform.
Sources at Fancy Bazar police outpost told The Telegraph that senior police officials had asked them to be stricter before allowing programmes as it has been found cultural programmes organised in the past, usually turned ugly and chaotic. The organisers, too, failed to comply with the norms laid down for organising public programmes at night.
Last night’s programme started in the evening and Kalua, the artiste from Bihar, was performing. However, the problem started when the organisers announced that they would wind up the function.
This angered the crowd and many started throwing stones, sandals and went berserk. They even broke windowpanes of three cars parked in the area and the situation turned violent.
The five policemen who were deployed in the spot remained mute spectators before reinforcement was sent from the neighbouring Bharalumukh and Panbazar police stations. Senior police officers arrived at the spot around 12.30am. The police used the cane and the situation was brought under control after struggling for about an hour.
“The organisers tried to finish the programme within the stipulated time limit but they failed to control the crowd. We had asked them to deploy adequate number of volunteers but they failed to do so. We had witnessed similar problems in the past and now we will be stricter before giving permission for such functions,” the source said.
The police arrested 10 persons and the committee lodged an FIR with the Fancy Bazar police outpost.
Similar cultural functions are organised during Holi, Navratri, Shravan Tithi and so on.
Police sources said organisers of the cultural programme have been found flouting the guidelines of the district administration related to timing, use of loudspeakers, crowd control and disaster management.
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