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States step up security for Friday prayers after last week’s violence
Security will be heightened around mosques in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir ahead to prevent repeat of violence and protests after of Friday’s prayers as witnessed on June 10, officials said.
Security will be heightened around mosques in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir ahead to prevent repeat of violence and protests after of Friday’s prayers as witnessed on June 10, officials said.
After prayers on last Friday, violence was reported from Prayagraj, Kanpur and Saharanpur districts in Uttar Pradesh; Ranchi in Jharkhand; and Howrah in West Bengal during protests over remarks on Prophet Mohammed by now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled media head of the Delhi BJP unit, Naveen Jindal.
On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh police sounded an alert to all district police chiefs to intensify vigil around mosques and asked them to make necessary deployment of personnel to avert any law-and-order trouble.
Police officers in Lucknow, Kanpur and Saharanpur said the district administrations have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for not allowing gatherings on roads and at public places.
“People have been advised to go back home after the prayers at the mosques. We have also asked local religious leaders to ensure that there is no untoward incident. Peace committee meetings are also being regularly,” said a senior Uttar Pradesh police officer.
Another police officer at DGP headquarters in Lucknow said extra alertness will be kept in sensitive districts this Friday and heavy police deployment will be done to avert any law and trouble. He said 130 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were deployed in different districts to maintain law and order and for peaceful conduct of the Friday prayers.
“The state police social media cell is doing round-the-clock monitoring of different social media platforms to contain content inciting communal sentiments and action is being taken against those involved in such things,” he said.
In Ranchi, where two persons were killed and about a dozen injured after protests turned violent on June 10, police officials said Section 144 will continue in six police stations areas, including parts of Mahatma Gandhi road, where the violence happened last Friday. “Extra police force continued to be deployed in these areas. If needed, additional police force will be deployed there,” a senior district police officer said.
Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan said a meeting was held on Wednesday with the area peace committees, which assured that peace will be maintained during coming Friday prayers. “They have assured us that Friday prayers will be done peacefully,” she said, adding additional security is being worked out.
In West Bengal, where the violence spread from Howrah on Friday to Murshidabad on Saturday, police officials said additional police forces are being deployed in the sensitive districts to maintain law and order.
West Bengal’s advocate general SM Mookerhee told the Calcutta high court that the state government will bring in the central forces if the situation goes out of hand. The court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking deployment of central forces. “There has been no violence since Sunday. We are keeping a close watch,” said a senior IPS officer of one of the violence-affected districts.
According to Jammu divisional commissioner, Ramesh Kumar, who heads 10 districts of Jammu region, there was no violence or protests last Friday in the entire J&K but there was some tension at Bhaderwah in Doda district besides Kishtwar.
“We have talked to both the communities and they assured us of all help in checking rumour mongers and mischievous elements,” Kumar said. The curfew continues in Kishtwar and Doda districts although it was being relaxed in a phased manner. “We have also adequate deployment of security personnel in communally sensitive districts like Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Ramban and Poonch,” he said.
