Six people were injured in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, in a clash during a Muharram procession, that saw members of two communities throwing bricks at each other and setting vehicles on fire, the police said.

The incident occurred when the procession deviated from its fixed route. Perturbed, some members of another community started throwing stones at the procession in Parampurva, Inspector General of Police (Kanpur zone) Alok Singh said.

Two cars and four motorcycles were set ablaze during the clash, he added.

The police resorted to baton-charge to control the situation, the Inspector General said.

Four companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), and a company of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the area to maintain peace. A senior official in Lucknow said the situation was being closely monitored.

Petty dispute

In a similar incident in Ballia, nearly half-a-dozen people were injured, after members of two communities clashed over a petty dispute in the Sikandarpur area, an official said.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening at a Durga Puja fair, District Magistrate (DM) Surendra Vikram said.

A minor quarrel between two children, took an ugly turn after their parents and members of the two communities got involved. “There were reports of stone throwing,” Mr.Vikram said.

The DM said the police reached the spot and controlled the situation.

15-year-old electrocuted

A 15-year-old boy was electrocuted and four others injured when a ‘tazia’ touched a high-tension wire in Kusaldeh village in Manikpur area here during a Muharram procession on Sunday.

In Kaushambi district, seven persons sustained burns when a tazia touched a high-tension wire in Manjhanpur area.