Haridwar, Jan 31 (PTI) Police on Friday were forced to resort to a mild lathicharge to disperse Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar's supporters who clashed with them.

These supporters had gathered on a college ground for a 'mahapanchayat' in Laksar to express solidarity with Kumar despite the MLA calling the meeting off in a video released on Thursday.

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The call for the mahapanchayat was given by the Independent MLA for a show of strength following the recent firing at his camp office by former BJP MLA from Khanpur, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion.

When the police tried to stop Kumar's supporters from conducting the mahapanchayat, they had an altercation with the police personnel. They also began to pelt the police with stones and bricks, Haridwar SSP Pramendra Singh Doval said.

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This forced the police personnel to resort to a mild lathicharge to disperse the crowds, he said.

There was chaos on the roads of Laksar for about two hours due to the clashes between the supporters of Kumar and the police.

Kumar was also detained by the police in Doiwala while proceeding for Laksar to address his supporters.

His detention was a precautionary measure to prevent tension between the supporters of the two leaders from escalating, a police official at Doiwala police station said.

After being detained, Kumar appealed to his supporters to maintain peace.

"It will disappoint people gathered in Laksar for the mahapanchayat as their leader could not reach the venue. But a leader's first and foremost responsibility is to rise above personal considerations to help maintain peace between all communities," the MLA said.

Political rivalry between Champion and Kumar took a violent turn on Sunday last when the former BJP MLA arrived at the Khanpur MLA's camp office in the latter's absence and fired several rounds.

He also abused Kumar's supporters present there and threatened them.

When Kumar came to know about the incident, he also tried to retaliate. He was seen in a viral video running with a pistol in hand in an aggressive mood. However, his supporters calmed him down.

Both of them were taken into custody the same day but Kumar was let off on bail while Champion was sent to 14 days' judicial custody.

This angered the Gujjar community to which Champion belongs. Terming it as a "biased action" against the former MLA, members of the Gujjar community gathered in large numbers at his residence in Landhaura on January 29 to demand his release within two days. They threatened to intensify their agitation from February 5 if he was not released.

Rivalry has been brewing between Champion and Kumar since the latter defeated the former BJP MLA's wife Kuwarani Devyani Singh in Khanpur in the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)