Lucknow: Tension is brewing in Rampur district after the police arrested Shah Farhat Ahmad Jamali, Head of famous Hafiz Shah Dargah, and three others on Saturday in connection with large scale violence during anti-CAA protest in the district on December 21, 2019.
One person was killed and several others were injured when people, gathered at Hathi Khana on a call given by local Muslim clerics, started pelting stones on policemen and torched several vehicles to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on December 21, 2019.
Police had resorted to lathicharge and used tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
In connection with FIRs lodged against rioters and those who incited the violence, the Rampur Police had issued notices to local Muslim clerics, including Farhat Jamali, on February 6 to record their statement. But Jamali, who heads one of the oldest and internationally-acclaimed Dargah Hafiz Shah Jamal Ullah, ignored the police notice to record his statement.
This forced the Rampur Police to arrest Jamali and three others from their residences on Saturday. The Police claimed that Jamali was the main conspirator who had incited Muslims for violence. They were taken to an unknown destination for questioning on their role during the violent anti-CAA protests on December 21, 2019, in the district.
Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan, the Head of Dargah Ala Hazrat in Bareilly, had visited Rampur two days ago and warned the police of countrywide agitation if they arrested Farhat Jamali. After his arrest, local Mjuslim clerics have given a call for holding protests at Dargah Hafiz Shah. Heavy police posse has been deployed at the Dargah and other sensitive areas of Rampur to check any untoward incident after the arrest of Jamali.
