By Akriti Anand
A local cleric and chief of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, Tauqeer Raza Khan, was reportedly arrested by police in Saturday. Tauqeer Raza Khan had earlier called for a protest on Friday supporting the ‘I love Mohammad’ campaign.
In the early hours of Saturday, a police team led by SP (Traffic) Akmal Khan formally arrested Raza and moved him to a secure location. He was produced in court on Saturday morning under heavy security.
A local court on Saturday sent Raza and the seven “mischievous elements” to 14-day judicial custody for allegedly masterminding the violent clash, police told PTI.
“The main conspirator of the Bareilly unrest, Maulana Tauqeer Raza, along with seven mischievous elements, have been arrested, produced in court, and sent to 14-day judicial custody,” DM Singh said.
The seven other accused were identified as Sarfaraz, Manifuddin, Azeem Ahmed, Mohammed Sharif, Mohammed Aamir, Rehan and Mohammad Sarfaraz, police said.
What led to ‘I love Mohammad’ protests?
His arrest came a day after a violent clash erupted between demonstrators and police after Friday prayers in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly.
“Tauqeer Raza has been taken into custody, and further legal proceedings are underway. The situation is peaceful and under control,” Bareilly SSP Anurag Arya told the media.
This story was originally published in livemint.com. Read the full story here.
