LUCKNOW: Despite the high alert sounded across Uttar Pradesh ahead of Friday prayers, in the wake of Delhi violence, the police authorities recovered bricks and stones from the rooftops of houses in two western UP districts -- Bulandshahr and Bijnor – in large number on Friday. The cops spotted the stones on the rooftops while keeping a vigil through drones.
After locating the houses, IG range Jyoti Narain directed the CO city of Bualndshahr to bring the bricks and stones down. On the other, stones stuffed in huge sacks were found dumped on the rooftops of a number of houses in Chahshiri locality of Bijnor. The police authorities undertook an intensive checking campaign in the entire area and took the sacks full of stones in their possession.
The senior police officials also cautioned the people of western UP districts adjoining Delhi against indulging in hate and rumour-mongering.
Bijnor SP Sanjeev claimed that trouble makers were already identified and notices were served on them. He also said that miscreants and potential vandals were issued red card as well.
Bulandhshar DM Ravindra Kumar and SSP Santosh Kumar Singh appealed the people of all the communities to maintain peace and communal harmony ahead of Friday prayers. In Aligarh, the situation was volatile but strict security measures were in
place ahead of Namaz. DM CB Singh made it clear that lawlessness of any kind would not be tolerated and strict action would be taken against those who would try to breach the peace.
Aligarh SSP Muniraj claimed that Friday prayers at Jama Masjid in Upper Kot area, Shajmahal Eidgah, Jamlapur and other mosques, were conducted peacefully amid heavy security measures.
Earlier, senior IPS officers were rushed to the field and asked to camp in sensitive districts, including Ghaziabad, Meerut, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Saharanpur and Shamli.
Meanwhile, the state police had intensified vigil and patrolling in districts on the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border, and other 15 districts, including Lucknow, which witnessed violence during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in December last year, police officials said.
A senior police official at the DGP headquarters claimed that vigilance and patrolling was intensified in Kanpur, Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Rampur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar and Sitapur. He said extra police force had been deployed in these districts. He said the state police social media cell was equally vigilant, adding that social media users will have to bear the brunt if they were found involved in posting and sharing inflammatory content as these may lead to rumour-mongering and disturb the peace.
Intelligence sleuths were deployed in plainclothes to keep vigil on activities in sensitive localities of the old city areas. Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ghaziabad, Kalanidhi Naithani said the police were vigilant on the border and barricades were put up for restricted movement of vehicles. He said multiple police patrol and response vehicles were deployed at the border.