Lucknow Amid heavy police deployment, Friday prayers were held peacefully across the state, including sensitive districts like Prayagraj, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Firozabad, Aligarh, Kanpur and Bareilly. The last two consecutive Fridays had witnessed violence and protests against insulting remarks for Prophet Mohammed by suspended BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma during an electronic channel debate.
This Friday, the state police had made elaborate arrangements with over 130 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary and paramilitary forces as well as over 1.25 lakh civil police personnel. Besides, over 5,000 CCTV cameras were put up to keep round the clock watch and 56 drones were used for aerial vigil.
Peace marches (Sadhbavna marches) and meetings with clerics and religious leaders were also held on Thursday and Friday, appealing to people to maintain peace.
In Prayagraj, no untoward incident was reported from Atala and adjoining localities that had witnessed violence last Friday. The area was heavily guarded and devotees left for home immediately after offering prayers in mosques. Attendance was slightly lower as many preferred to offer namaz at home.
In Varanasi, the prayers passed off peacefully at Gyanvapi and other mosques in the city and in rural areas. Strict security arrangements were made outside the mosques.
{{/usCountry}}In Varanasi, the prayers passed off peacefully at Gyanvapi and other mosques in the city and in rural areas. Strict security arrangements were made outside the mosques.
{{/usCountry}}In Lucknow, Muslim groups turned to Gandhigiri by distributing roses to police personnel and officers deployed at the Tile Wali Masjid after prayers. In Kanpur, Christians and civil defence personnel gave roses to people returning after offering prayers in Yatimkhana masjid. Arguments erupted in Syed Nagar, Kanpur when some people started offering prayers in a vacant plot but the problem was soon resolved as police reached the spot immediately.
UP police additional director general (ADG), Prashant Kumar said the Friday prayers were held peacefully across the state. He said force deployment would continue in localities where violence was reported last Friday. “We are continuously maintaining vigil in the affected areas of Prayagraj, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Aligarh and Firozabad to ensure there is no further problem there,” he added.
Another police official said police were on the move in the Old City of Lucknow as well as 23 other sensitive districts since the morning. He said armed police as well as civil police personnel were deployed strategically at different points and also on roof tops at some places.
The sensitive districts include Prayagraj, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Meerut, Firozabad, Sambhal, Shamli, Kanpur, Lucknow, Hathras, Aligarh, Bareilly, Rampur, Badaun, Jalaun, Ambedkarnagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Agra, Mau, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Ayodhya, Bahraich and Gonda.
The official said the police’s technical team was ready with its electronic gadgets, like moving control-room set-up in a vehicle to receive video footage from CCTV cameras installed at different locations and drones flying over sensitive localities. The centralised control-room set up at the police headquarters in Lucknow was also abuzz with activity, with police officials checking preparations in different districts and updating seniors.
He said patrolling was going on in Muslim-dominated areas and near mosques to instil security in people and send a warning to trouble makers.
To recall, violence was reported after prayers on two consecutive Fridays on June 3 and June 10, in protest against insulting remarks for Prophet Mohammed by suspended BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma during an electronic channel debate. Violence broke out in Kanpur after Friday prayers on June 3 and in Prayagraj, Saharanpur, Firozabad, Moradabad, Hathras, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ambedkarnagar, Aligarh and Jalaun on June 10.
In the past one week, 357 people have been arrested and 13 FIRs lodged in nine districts in this connection.