Prayagraj Development Authority had served a demolition notice and had put a copy at Ahmed’s house also. The authority had asked to vacate the house by 11 am. Notice served to Ahmed had said that the house has been ‘illegally constructed’.
New Delhi: A couple of days after reports of violent protests in multiple cities, Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday demolished the home of Javed Ahmed, main accused of Prayagraj violence. The district administration of Prayagraj had stepped up security in the area where building of Ahmed was located.
Police has named Ahmed as key conspirator alleging his role in violence after Friday namaaz in the city. Police officials said that majority of belongings were already removed from the house and remaining articles were removed by the personnel deployed to carry out demolition. Police have reportedly found some posters and flags with slogans like ‘When Injustice Becomes Law Rebellion Becomes Duty.’
Earlier, Prayagraj Development Authority had served a demolition notice and had put a copy at Ahmed’s house also. The authority had asked to vacate the house by 11 am. Notice served to Ahmed had said that the house has been ‘illegally constructed’.
Meanwhile, UP Police has arrested over 300 accused persons involved in protests which were violent in many states. As per the reports, more than 90 protesters have been arrested from Prayagraj, over 70 from Saharanpur, 34 from Ambedkar Nagar, 34 from Moradabad. Scores of protesters have been taken into custody from other cities of the state.
In connection with the Howrah protests, law enforcement agency has reportedly arrested 60 people. To avoid any untoward incident, section 144 has been imposed in the area.
Hours after the police clamped Section 144 in the violence-hit areas of Howrah district in West Bengal, the state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sukanta Majumdar was arrested for attempting to breach the government order and trying to visit the sensitive areas.
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According to sources, the police had initially tried to restrain Majumdar at his New Town home when BJP workers clashed with the police. Later, Majumdar’s vehicle was stopped at the Vidyasagar Setu Toll Plaza and the leader was arrested and taken to the Kolkata Police headquarters, Lalbazar.
Soon after Majumdar’s arrest, BJP workers sat on a protest in front of Lalbazar to demand the immediate release of Majumdar. The police also restrained BJP leader Priyanka Tibrewal from reaching the violence-hit areas.
In Ranchi, where two people were died during violent protests after Friday namaaz, police has beefed up the security. Violence was erupted in city’s busy Mahatma Gandhi Marg after a 500 member strong entourage, which hit the streets after offering prayers in Ekra Mosque, clashed with policemen which tried to block their advance towards the Firayalal Chowk roundabout citing disruptions to vehicular movement.
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The vandals, which the police and bystanders claimed were 1,500 in number, pelted stones at the cops, smashed windshields of vehicles and smashed window panes of two temples along the road before a large police contingent resorted to lathi-charge and fired rubber bullets to disperse the mob. In their retreat, the vandals torched a street cart which sold Puja items.
Ranchi city SP Anshuman Kumar and the officers in charge of Lower Bazar and Kotwali police stations were injured in the clashes along with several commuters, passersby, businessmen and journalists. “The injured were taken to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment,” Ranchi administration said in a statement.
Chief minister Hemant Soren had called the violence unfortunate and worrying and urged residents to exercise restraint. “I urge everyone to refrain from anything that is tantamount to crime,” he said.