Noida: Police book 200 for vandalism on DND Flyway, more arrests soon

Of the 200, 16 have already been arrested and police are going through the CCTV footage to identify the remaining persons for taking further action.

The Noida police has registered a case against 200 unidentified persons for vandalising the toll plaza at Delhi-Noida-Delhi Flyway on Sunday.

The incident took place when the supporters of several fringe groups entered the DND Flyway from the Greater Noida side on Sunday and damaged the toll plaza booths.(Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Of the 200, 16 have already been arrested and police are going through the CCTV footage to identify the remaining
persons for taking further action.

The incident took place when the supporters of several fringe groups entered the DND Flyway from the Greater Noida side on Sunday and damaged the toll plaza booths.

The mob was allegedly protesting against the release of the upcoming movie Padmaavat, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, among others.

The movie had courted controversy for allegedly portraying queen Padmavati in poor light. Several Rajput groups had called for a ban on the movie, before the Supreme Court intervened in the issue and cleared the way for its release on
January 25.

The protesters wanted to reach the Great India Palace and DLF mall in Noida, where the multiplexes are scheduled to screen the movie.

Police had arrested 16 persons after the now defunct toll plaza on the DND Flyway was vandalised by the supporters of Karni Sena, a Rajput group founded in 2006, and other fringe groups on Sunday.

“We will be making more arrests soon after we go through the CCTV footage thoroughly. Most of these persons had come from the Greater Noida side, so it won’t be difficult to identify them,” said Anil Kumar Shai, station house officer, Sector 20.

Police are also going through the mobile phone recordings of the whole incident shot by passersby and some police personnel present at the spot to trace the hooligans.

“Apart from the CCTV footage, we have got the mobile phone video recordings of the vandalism which took place on the DND Flyway. We are trying to trace the people captured in those video recordings,” said Love Kumar, police chief, Gautam Budh Nagar.

Police are also getting in touch with Rajput leaders and Rajput groups active in Gautam Budh Nagar to identify the
culprits.

“We are in talks with Rajput groups to help us nab the people who vandalised the DND Flyway booths. It is going to take time but we will be making more arrests as soon as the accused are identified,” said Arun Kumar Singh, superintendent of police, Noida city.

The booths at the toll plaza are unmanned after the toll was scrapped on October 26, 2016, following a court order.