GHAZIABAD: Nine members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), which UP Police has accused of instigating violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, have been arrested in Ghaziabad. The arrests are part of the statewide crackdown in which 108 members of the outfit have been put behind bars in the last four days.
Police said the four of the nine arrested in Ghaziabad are from Muradnagar, followed by three from Bhojpur and two from Dasna. A special Investigation team (SIT) has taken up the probe into cases of rioting that were registered during the protests in some parts of the district.
An SIT officer said PFI members had distributed pamphlets about the protest against CAA in different locations in the district. “People had arrived in Ghaziabad from nearby areas like Delhi and Meerut to trigger the protest. Moreover, PFI members had also given instructions to a select group of protesters to attack police with stones,” the SIT officer added.
SP (rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun told TOI all nine accused had made “objectionable and communal posts” on WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms. Ghaziabad police have, however, not disclosed the names of the arrested PFI members, citing the ongoing investigation that, they said, continues to track 20 more people in the district, including 10 associated with PFI. “Some people had also fired during a protest at Muradnagar and they have also been identified. We will arrest them soon,” Jadaun said.
Ghaziabad police chief Kalanidhi Naithani, who was heading Lucknow police when violent protests broke out in the state capital against the CAA, said the PFI was present in 11 districts of UP.
Despite an internet shutdown on December 20, protests against the CAA had turned violent at Kaila Bhatta, Pasonda and three places in Muradnagar. Police teams were attacked with stones thrown from rooftops.
Wary of a repeat on December 27, around 5,000 cops were deployed at these locations and drones were engaged to keep an eye on protesters. In connection with the December 20 clash, seven FIRs under charges of attempt to murder, rioting and other sections of the IPC have been registered across five police stations in Ghaziabad.
Police said the four of the nine arrested in Ghaziabad are from Muradnagar, followed by three from Bhojpur and two from Dasna. A special Investigation team (SIT) has taken up the probe into cases of rioting that were registered during the protests in some parts of the district.
An SIT officer said PFI members had distributed pamphlets about the protest against CAA in different locations in the district. “People had arrived in Ghaziabad from nearby areas like Delhi and Meerut to trigger the protest. Moreover, PFI members had also given instructions to a select group of protesters to attack police with stones,” the SIT officer added.
SP (rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun told TOI all nine accused had made “objectionable and communal posts” on WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms. Ghaziabad police have, however, not disclosed the names of the arrested PFI members, citing the ongoing investigation that, they said, continues to track 20 more people in the district, including 10 associated with PFI. “Some people had also fired during a protest at Muradnagar and they have also been identified. We will arrest them soon,” Jadaun said.
Ghaziabad police chief Kalanidhi Naithani, who was heading Lucknow police when violent protests broke out in the state capital against the CAA, said the PFI was present in 11 districts of UP.
Despite an internet shutdown on December 20, protests against the CAA had turned violent at Kaila Bhatta, Pasonda and three places in Muradnagar. Police teams were attacked with stones thrown from rooftops.
Wary of a repeat on December 27, around 5,000 cops were deployed at these locations and drones were engaged to keep an eye on protesters. In connection with the December 20 clash, seven FIRs under charges of attempt to murder, rioting and other sections of the IPC have been registered across five police stations in Ghaziabad.
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