LUCKNOW: Total 345 persons, including 91 in Prayagraj and 82 in Saharanpur, have been arrested so far by the UP police in connection with the violence that erupted after the Friday prayers in five districts of the state on June 10.
Moreover, 18 persons, including 12 Hindus and six Muslims, have also been held in Saharanpur for allegedly posting hate speech on social media over the last week, Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar said on Monday.
On the lookout for those involved in stone pelting at the police and defying law and order restrictions, police authorities in Firozabad and Ambedkarnagar put out the posters of the accused on Monday.
Separate teams were formed in Prayagraj, Saharanpur, and Hathras to sift through the CCTV cameras footages to trace those defying law.
“We have arrested 16 in Firozabad, 41 in Ambedkarnagar, 35 in Moradabad, 100 in Saharanpur, 92 in Prayagraj, 51 in Hathras, six in Aligarh, and four in Jalaun, taking the tally of those arrested to 345,” said Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General of police, Law and Order.
The ADG (L&O) added that monitoring of the violence-hit districts and the subsequent action taken by police authorities was being done by the DGP office.
“A dedicated social media team is keeping a vigil on messages vitiating the atmosphere through social media,” added ADG Prashant Kumar.
On Monday, Ambedkarnagar district police circulated 60 photographs of those who indulged in stone pelting and sloganeering after Friday prayers in Tanda on June 10.
The police also placed Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind district head Mufti Mehboob-u-Rehman under house arrest.
“We are also taking statements of locals who were present on the spot when the incident took place, and also scanning videos on net and from the local journalists based on which further action will be taken,” said Vijendra Sharma, SHO, Tanda.
In Moradabad, some You Tubers are under scanner of district police as they were believed to have incited the people after Friday prayers.
In Firozabad, posters of 24 involved in stone pelting were put at all major crossings to identify them and nab them.
District Police chiefs of Prayagraj, Saharanpur and Hathras scanned CCTV cameras to identify the trouble makers. Inpector General, Saharanpur, Preetinder Singh, took out the flag march to maintain peace besides supervising the investigation into the communal flare-up.
Meanwhile, to maintain peace and order, Moradabad police started ‘Jan Chaupal’ where the small police teams set up by SP Hemant Kutiyal to dissuade youth from becoming a part of lawlessness and hate mongering.
“We have reached out to 57 colonies since Sunday, where we are trying to convince the youth to focus of more constructive things than wasting their time on spreading hatred in the society,” said Kutiyal.
On the other, as a fallout of the demolition of Javed Mohammad's house in Prayagraj, the shopkeepers and residents of other localities of the city, including Atala, vacated the illegal constructions which they had been occupying for years fearing action against them.
The houses of 92 persons arrested so far in Prayagraj for their alleged role in the violent protests of June 10, had reportedly been identified by the administration and the status of the legality of properties was being cross checked by teams of PDA and revenue department, said the local sources.
Notably, Atala locality of the Sangam city witnessed huge stone pelting by the rioters who were emerging from the streets to attack the police forces, common man and media persons during the June 10 protests. The vandals had destroyed a number of vehicles parked by the roadside.
After three days of the violent protests, roads are lying deserted in Atala locality with heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces. However, the small roadside vendors are bearing the brunt of the situation as their earnings have taken a big hit due to the unrest.