Mathura violence: Police say no rocket launcher recovered from clash site

Mathura: No rocket launcher has been recovered during the ongoing search operation in violence-hit Jawahar bagh here, Superintendent of Police Babloo Kumar today said.

Dismissing media reports that a US-made rocket launcher was found by the Uttar Pradesh bomb disposal squad in Jawahar bagh area, he said the weapon that was recovered along with other arms and ammunition was a tear gas gun.

"The tear gas gun is manufactured by US-based company Jefferson. The iron gun is in poor condition and can no longer be used," Kumar said.

Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad chief Rampal Singh informed that the 37mm calibre tear gas gun along with some ammunition have been recovered from three plastic bags placed under a pile of straw near a pond in Jawahar bagh area, he said.

A pistol and 1 kg of white, 25 kg of black and 5 kg of yellow powder were also seized. One broken electronic circuit plate along with 1 kg of iron chips was also recovered, he added.

The probe is on nab the key persons behind the clash. So far, 50 cases have been filed in the matter with 11 persons booked under IPC sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 303, 336, 332, 333,436, 186, 188 and the investigation is going on under Criminal Law Amendment Act 1934 section 31 (a).

Twenty-nine people - including then SP (City) Mukul Dwivedi and Station House Officer (Farah) Santosh Yadav - were killed during clashes between police and encroachers at Jawahar Bagh in Mathura last week.