Kanpur / Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police has booked over 800 people, arrested 18 and detained as many for questioning in connection with rioting and violence in Kanpur, officials said on Saturday.
"The area is peaceful and we are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil," Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and order) Anand Prakash Tiwari said, adding some suspects were detained overnight by different police teams.
Three FIRs over rioting and violence have been lodged at Beckonganj police station, he said.
Eighteen people have been arrested so far over Friday's violence and as many detained for questioning, he added.
The first FIR has been registered on a complaint by Nawab Ahmad, Station House Officer, Beckonganj, against nearly 500 people for rioting with deadly weapons.
The FIR names 36 people including Maulana Mohammed Ali, MMA Jauhar Fans Association chief Hayat Zafar Hashmi, and his associates Yousuf Mansoori and Amir Jawed Ansari.
According to the SHO, Hayat and his men had called for the closure of shops on Friday to protest the remarks made against the Prophet by a BJP spokesperson.
The rioters used deadly weapons, hurled petrol bombs and took to the streets, triggering panic in the area, the FIR stated.
The second FIR was lodged on a complaint by Sub-Inspector (SI) Asif Raza. Twenty people have been named in the FIR and 350 unidentified people have been booked.
According to the FIR, MMA Jauhar Fans Association chief Hayat Zafar Hashmi along with Yousuf Mansoori, Amir Jawed Ansari and others converged at the Dada Miyan crossing and moved towards Yateemkhana, forcing shopkeepers to close their shops that led to lawlessness.
The third FIR has been registered on a complaint by Mukesh, a resident of Chandeshwar Hata, who alleged that hundreds of Muslims, carrying sticks, iron roads and deadly weapons attacked the members of the other community with an intent to kill them.
The FIR mentions "a crowd of thousands of unidentified persons" as accused.
The FIRs have been lodged under various Indian Penal Code sections including 147 (punishment for rioting), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 336 (act endangering life), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).
Those named in the FIRs are MMA Jauhar Fans Association chief Hayat Zafar Hashmi, Yousuf Mansoori, Amir Jawed Ansari, Ehtisham alias Kabadi, Zeeshan, Aquib, Nizam Qureshi, Adil, Imran alias Kalia, Shaharyan, Mudassar, Mohammad Azad, Zeeshan alias Avenger, Abdul Shakeel, Irfan alias Chaddi, Shera, Saifi, Arfit, Israeel, Aqee alias Khichdi, Adnan, Pervez alias Chikna, Shadab, Ishrat Ali, Mohammad Rashid, Alishan, Nasir, Ashique Ali, Mohammad Aquib, Mohammad Said, Anas, Shahid, Bilal, Haji Mohd Nasir, Habib and Rahman.
The violence broke out in Pared, Nai Sadak and Yateemkhana areas of the city after Friday prayers when some people tried to force shopkeepers to down shutters over allegedly insulting remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a TV debate recently, according to police.
At least 40 people, including 20 police personnel, were injured during the clashes, the police said on Saturday.
Those who allegedly forced traders to shut shops clashed with police personnel who used batons to disperse the mob.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar has warned that those involved will be booked under the stringent Gangsters Act and their properties seized or demolished.—PTI