Bareilly (UP): A mob attacked police teams and raised slogans of “sar tan se juda” (beheading) on the directions of cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan during the September 26 violence in Bareilly, the recent chargesheet in this matter stated.
Police have filed a fresh chargesheet in connection with the violence in Bareilly, naming 38 people, including Tauqeer Raza Khan, president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), as the main accused.
According to the chargesheet, the accused attacked police teams at two locations while raising aggressive and provocative slogans following directions from Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, officials said.
Superintendent of Police Manush Pareek told reporters, “Chargesheets have already been filed in 10 cases related to the violence in the city.”
In the latest case, registered at Baradari police station, the accused named in the chargesheet include Tauqeer Raza Khan, Mohammad Azam, Farhat Khan, Moin Khan, Umed, Mustaqim, Arwaaz, Nazim Raza Khan, Mohsin and others.
One of the accused is a minor, and two hail from Shahjahanpur, he added.
Pareek said, “A total of 10 FIRs were registered at Baradari, Kotwali, Prem Nagar, Qila, and Cantt police stations on September 26, with two more cases added later. Chargesheets have so far been filed in the 10 main cases involving over 100 accused, of whom 87 are in jail. Investigations in two cases are still ongoing.”
Inspector Dhananjay Pandey of Baradari police station reported that violence erupted when, “during a city patrol, miscreants attacked a police team near Shahdana Road. Following the call of Maulana Tauqeer Raza, a crowd chanted ‘tan se juda’ slogans and tried to march towards Islamia Maidan,” the senior officer said.
“Police personnel, along with reinforcements, reached Shyamatganj Bridge, where around 200-250 people, including the named accused, allegedly attacked the police team again,” Pareek added.
The crime branch, led by Inspector Sanjay Dheer, conducted the investigation that led to the latest chargesheet. “During the probe, nine additional names were identified and included in the chargesheet,” officials said.
Bareilly turned tense on September 26 after protesters, opposing FIRs over “I Love Muhammad” posters, clashed with police following the Friday prayer, as they were not permitted to hold a demonstration.
Several people, including police personnel, were injured in the clashes. The police lodged 10 FIRs, booking hundreds of people, mostly unidentified, in connection with the violence.
