In UP’s “wild west”, more than 250 protesters have been arrested in Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Bulandshahr.
The initial investigations of 12 people dying in violent protests over the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) in UP suggest that the large scale violence has West Bengal connections. Lucknow police have arrested at least 6 persons from Kolkata, directly involved in arson and damaging state property in Thursday’s violence in Lucknow.
Police is questioning several youths who originally belong to Malda district in West Bengal. The police said that when the 11 mobile phones recovered from the spot of violence in Hazratganj area her were examined, the text of the phone list was to be in Bengali. Director General of Police O.P. Singh later said that outsiders were involved in the violent protests in Lucknow and the police is investigating more on the “outsider” angle to ascertain the conspiracy behind the pre-meditated violence.
Meanwhile on Saturday, large-scale violence was reported in Rampur where protesters resorted to stone pelting. One person died and several were reported injured when police used force to contain the frenzied mob from indulging in arson.
A report by Rampur police’s Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) says that a call was given by local Muslim clerics to stage a protest near the Idgah and block offices. However at several places, large crowds gathered and later indulged in violence.
In UP’s “wild west”, more than 250 protesters have been arrested in Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Bulandshahr. “Today the situation was more or less under control. We are now in the process of identifying the rioters who indulged in arson or damaging property. Their photographs are being displayed. The police have also recovered firearms from the rioters, particularly from Muzaffarnagar. Dozen of live cartridges were also seized from the spot,” Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Prashant Kumar told IANS.