A day after the violent protests over remarks on the Prophet Muhammad, the UP police and municipal teams were out in Saharanpur with bulldozers, razing parts of homes of two of the accused arrested for disturbing the peace and social harmony. The civic teams claimed the homes were illegal constructions. In Kanpur, too, a multi-storied building, allegedly owned by a close aide of the main accused in the Friday violence, was demolished. An officer said there were reasons to believe that the investment in the building had been made by the prime accused of the violence case. According to the ADG (Law & Order), 237 people have been arrested so far in the state and 17 FIRs have been lodged.
RANCHI POLICE COVER
The city of Ranchi, meanwhile, is under a protective police wrap. Around 2,500 police personnel, besides two Rapid Action Force battalions, have been deployed in the sensitive areas of the city. Among the Friday fatalities were two Muslim youth in their early 20s. One of them had gunshot wounds on his head, while the other had received bullet injuries on his neck. Eight others are in the ICU.
BENGAL ARREST
In West Bengal, BJP president Sukanta Majumdar was arrested while he was on his way to Howrah, the hub of the protests in the state on Friday. Earlier in the day, Majumdar was stopped by the police from visiting violence-affected areas and placed under house arrest. Majumdar had jumped barricades outside his residence and was ready to leave for Panchla town in Howrah when he was arrested. As many as 53 people have been held thus far in connection with the violence and arson.
JINDAL FAMILY FLEES
The family of dismissed BJP leader Naveen Jindal has left Delhi following a death threat. Jindal was dismissed from the BJP after controversy erupted over his remarks against the Prophet Muhammad, which he had made in solidarity with Nupur Sharma. The dismissed leader also alleged that a few persons had followed him a few days ago when he went to meet someone. Reports were also doing rounds on social media that unknown people allegedly did a recee of his house. "I am still living in Delhi. Out of fear my family has left. This is exodus," Jindal said.
According to police, Ishtiyaq, who ran a tailoring shop till a few years ago, is now engaged in real estate business. Hashim was a major investor in the demolished building and is thick with Ishtiyaq, they said.
A local court had on Friday approved 72 hours' police remand of Hashmi along with Jawed Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Rahil, and Sufiyan. "The accused were taken into police custody following the court's order on Saturday morning and will remain in custody till Tuesday morning," said Tiwari.
Violence broke out in Kanpur on June 3 after some people gathered demanding strict action against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her comments on Prophet Mohammad. Sharma's remark riled many Arab nations and stoked like protests across parts of north India, and West Bengal.
At least 40 people including some police personnel were injured in the incident. The rioters hurled petrol bombs and damaged public properties, including shops and vehicles.
Saharanpur demolition
In Saharanpur, the police and the municipal corporation demolition squad have razed houses of Muzammil and Abdul Waqar in the Rahat colony area with the use of bulldozers. According to the Senior Police Superintendent of Police (SSP), Saharanpur, Akash Tomar bot these were involved in the Friday protest and were absconding. He said that many people who took part in the protest and instigated violence have been identified and very soon, NSA would be slapped against them.
(With inputs from PTI)
