Mathura clashes: Amid ongoing probe, District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent transferred

Uttar Pradesh government today transferred the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura following the violence in the district that left 29 dead even as a probe is on into the clashes.

"#UPCM@yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon," Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.

District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar and SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh were transferred days after violence broke out when police tried to evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh park in Mathura.

Singh has been replaced by SP Jalaun, Babloo Kumar, an official release said.

However, the name of the new district magistrate is yet to be announced.

So far, 45 cases have been registered against 3,000 encroachers belonging to a cult - Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi - an outfit that claimed to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The transfers were ordered even as Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chandra Kant launched a probe to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, which left the Samajwadi Party government red faced and invited sharp criticism from the opposition.

The violent clashes claimed the lives of Superintendent of Police (City) Mukul Dwivedi and SHO Santosh Kumar. Ram Vriksha Yadav, the cult leader, was also among those dead.

Akhilesh Yadav government came under fire over the incident, with Home Minister Rajnath Singh alleging law and order had collapsed in the state and asking it to write to the Centre to institute a CBI probe.