LUCKNOW: The personal secretary of Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza surrendered before a Bareilly court, police said on Thursday. Afzal Beg was a wanted accused in the September 26 violence case and had been carrying a reward of Rs 15,000 on his arrest.
Beg appeared in the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate on Wednesday and surrendered, officials said. He was accompanied by his lawyer and a few associates. The court sent him to jail, said police sources.
Maulana Tauqeer Raza is in Fatehpur jail after he was arrested on charges of inciting violence in the name of the ‘I love Muhammad’ protest in Bareilly on September 26.
A resident of Viharipur, Civil Lines, Afzal Beg had earlier served as an IMC office-bearer.
Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said the reward was announced for the arrest of Afzal Beg when he could not be traced, and Kila police station in-charge Subhash Singh was instructed to ensure his arrest.
Subhash Singh said police had received prior information about Beg’s surrender, and a team was deployed outside the court, but he managed to surrender quietly inside with the help of his lawyer.
The IMC chief's aide is also wanted in another rioting case registered at the Baradari police station, and police there are likely to seek his custody for interrogation, Singh added.
Police would soon move the court to obtain non-bailable warrants against the other absconding accused, said SSP Arya.
If they fail to appear, the reward amounts may be increased, and property attachment proceedings could be initiated with the court's approval, he said.
Violence erupted in Bareilly on September 26 after a dispute over posters with the message ‘I Love Muhammad’.
Clashes broke out between police and a large crowd that had gathered outside a mosque after Friday prayers, allegedly after a call given by Tauqeer Raza after police denied permission for a demonstration.
The protesters allegedly pelted stones, and police resorted to a lathi charge to control the situation, according to officials.
Police said some leaders of the IMC had allegedly conspired to incite the riots “under the guise of protests”.
So far, police have arrested the IMC chief, national general secretary and spokesperson Nafees, former district president Nadeem Khan, social media in-charge Farhat Khan, city president Anees Saklani, founding member Moin Siddiqui, former district president Munir Idrishi, and district president Shamsad, among others, in connection with the case.
