Police in Gulu city on Monday arrested the chairperson of the Indian Community, Kulbhasittau Vashisth, also known as KSP, for allegedly organising and displaying fireworks without authorisation from the police.
Vashisth was arrested at around 8:56 p.m. at the new Hindu temple in Bardege-Layibi Division during a fireworks display marking the Diwali festival. The celebrations, observed by Hindus across the world, were spread between October 20 and 21 this year, following the lunar calendar’s Amavasya period.
The Gulu fireworks display was not an isolated incident, as similar celebrations were reported in other towns and cities across Uganda where Indian communities reside. Aswa West Regional police spokesperson, David Ongom Mudong, said in a statement on Tuesday that the suspect and a group of Indian nationals discharged fireworks at the new temple without police authorisation.
He said the suspects never adhered to the required safety and regulatory guidelines as mandated by the police directorate of operations.
He added that the fireworks were immediately stopped by officers under the command of the district police commander (DPC) for Gulu. Vashisth was later released on police bond on Tuesday morning and is expected to report back to police on October 24, as investigations continue.
His arrest came amid heightened security in Gulu following the visit of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is in the Acholi sub-region for his presidential campaign. Museveni kicked off his campaign in Amuru district on Monday before heading to Nwoya and Omoro districts on Tuesday.
He is expected to hold a joint campaign for both Gulu district and Gulu city at Kaunda Parade Grounds on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in a separate development, homicide detectives in Gulu East Division have launched investigations into the murder of an unidentified woman whose body was found on Monday night in Ariaga Laliya Cell, Pece-Laroo Division.
Police said the deceased’s body bore multiple stab wounds, but no arrests had been made by press time.
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