Ten people arrested in connection with the violence that broke out this month in Prayagraj during protests against suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma’s comments about Prophet Muhammad have been transferred to prisons across Uttar Pradesh.
PN Pandey, the senior superintendent of the Naini central prison where the accused were lodged, cited administrative grounds and said the process for the transfer was completed on Sunday.
Senior police superintendent Ajay Kumar said the 10 were transferred as they feared they could create trouble. “A recommendation for their transfers to other jails of the state came from the district administration. Based on the recommendation, the accused have been transferred to other prisons.”
The transferees include Javed Mohammad, whom police have named as the main accused. He has been sent to Deoria jail. Other accused have been transferred to prisons in Kanpur, Gautam Budh Nagar, Fatehgarh, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Agra, and Jhansi.