Over 400 arrested, after violent protests in several states, accused face bulldozer action in UP

New Delhi: Tension gripped various places in the country today amidst the violence that began on Friday following the controversial remarks made by BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal on Prophet Mohammad. The situation in Howrah district of West Bengal remained peaceful in the morning. Section 144 is in force in the violence-affected areas of the district and internet services are suspended while around 100 arrests have been made so far.

The situation in Ranchi in Jharkhand remained tense. In Ranchi, police have so far registered around 25 cases against thousands of persons. Internet services have been restored in the district after 33 hours while Section 144 has been removed from areas under 12 police stations. Meanwhile, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, the administration today demolished the house of Javed Ahmed alias Pump, the main accused in the violence, and more than 300 persons have been arrested in connection with the violence across UP.

Meanwhile, The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) yesterday demolished the house of Javed Ahmed alias Pump, the main accused in Friday’s violence. A large number of police force was present at the PDA operation. A day earlier too the PDA had demolished the houses of two accused in the riots in Saharanpur. Saharanpur city SP Rajesh Kumar said that with the help of cctv camera footage, two accused, Muzamil and Abdul Wakir, were identified and the municipal team has bulldozed their illegal properties.