Communal tension in Bareilly; 2 minors held

Over two dozen persons have been detained by the Bareilly police and four FIRs have been filed in connection with the entire incident, police sources said on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday evening, a group of protesters staged an agitation outside the local police station, seeking the boy’s arrest. They then went to the boy’s house and sat on a dharna outside. In the meantime, people from neighbouring areas also reached the spot and allegedly pelted stones at the house, which was locked.

A police team soon reached the spot and tried to pacify the protesters. Some of the protesters entered into a scuffle with policemen and refused to lift the agitation till an FIR was registered in the matter.

Later on Friday night, the police registered an FIR against the boy under IPC section 295-A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). The protesters called off the agitation after the police detained the boy.

During preliminary inquiry, the police also found that the boy’s friend also made “objectionable” remarks and filed a case against him also on the same charges. The police have detained the two boys, said the in-charges of the two police stations concerned.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Bareilly, Raj Kumar, said that in connection with the protest, a separate case has been filed against miscreants, under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 341 ( wrongful restraint) and others.

Police are checking CCTV footage installed near the spot to identify persons involved in violence and protest on
Friday night.

Heavy police force has been deployed in the town. A police team has also been deployed outside the boy’s house as a precautionary measure. “Roles of those detained are being looked into and action will be taken against those found involved,” said Raj Kumar.

Meanwhile, some shopkeepers in the area downed shutters of their shops on Saturday as a mark of protest against what they termed as “one-sided police action.”

“Our religious sentiments were hurt following the objectionable post, which resulted in several people organising a protest on Friday night. But the police action since Saturday morning seems biased… Many of those taken into custody belong to our community. We have decided to down shutters of our shops”, claimed Mohammed Asif , the complainant in the first FIR that was filed in the matter around 8 pm on Friday.

“Adequate police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) besides Rapid Action Force personnel, have been deployed in the area to ensure peace,” said Inspector General Rakesh Singh.

“The trouble-mongers are being identified as the entire incident has been videographed by the police and we will also check CCTV footage of the area. The offenders will face strict punitive action,” said Bareilly Senior Superintendent of
Police (SSP) Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan.

Bareilly is among the more communally sensitive districts in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, on July 30, a clash broke out in the Joginiwada area of Bareilly when a Kanwar Yatri group made its way through a minority community-dominated area that saw the police carrying out a lathi charge, leading to 16 people, including women and children, sustaining injuries. The then SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary, a police inspector and a sub-inspector were suspended.

“We will probe Friday’s incident and action will be taken against the policemen if they were found guilty of not being able to control the crowd,” IG Singh said.

—WITH INPUTS FROM ENS, MEERUT