An uneasy calm descended on pockets of unrest nationwide on Sunday amid a spate of FIRs, fresh arrests and travel curbs on
BJP functionaries in Bengal and continued bulldozer action in UP against those allegedly responsible for Friday’s street violence linked to protests against controversial remarks on
Prophet Muhammad
.
Municipal authorities in
Prayagraj
demolished a two-storey house belonging to Javed Mohammed, alias
Javed Pump
, the arrested “mastermind” of the violence and arson in the city. A police team claimed to have found two country-made pistols, live cartridges, and allegedly inflammatory literature, posters and flags in the house.
The building in JK Ashiyana, estimated to be worth Rs 5 crore, had been built without official sanction and a notice was slapped on the owner on May 10, officials said.
UP police also made 61 more arrests during the day, including a Prayagraj-based imam identified as Ali Ahmad for alleged incitement. Protesters had clashed with cops near Ahmad’s mosque at Atala. Since Friday, 316 people have been arrested in the state and 13 FIRs lodged against 6,000-odd people.
In Bengal, an FIR against suspended BJP national spokesperson
Nupur Sharma was lodged at East Midnapore’s Contai police station, taking the number of cases registered in connection with the violence in
Howrah
and other parts of the state to 25 over the past 48 hours. The police have so far arrested 112 people for rioting, arson and incitement.
Howrah SP (rural) Swati Bhangalia said more than 30 among those arrested had been charged under non-bailable sections such as attempt to murder, attacking police, damaging public property and disrupting national highway.
No fresh incident was reported in Howrah and Murshidabad, although there were reports of stone-pelting on the Ranaghat-Lalgola passenger train in Nadia’s Bethuadahari. Eastern Railway said they were awaiting permission to resume train services on the Ranaghat-Lalgola section.
A semblance of normalcy also returned to Howrah following sporadic instances of violence on Saturday night. Howrah district magistrate
Mukta Arya
extended prohibitory orders in five police station areas until June 15. Internet services are scheduled to resume on Monday.
Trinamool Congress accused BJP of repeatedly trying to disrupt peace after leader of the opposition
Suvendu Adhikari
claimed he was stopped from meeting party workers in Howrah. “BJP is playing to the gallery and trying to instigate people. People have rejected them in the election, and they are struggling to get a grip on the dissidence in their own party. They are looking for issues to keep their sinking ship floating,” Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
Adhikari had a public spat with East Midnapore police after he was stopped from proceeding to Howrah, where Section 144 is in force. The BJP MLA dashed off a letter to chief secretary HK Dwivedi, alleging attempts to “restrain my movements”. Adhikari said he would move court on Monday if stopped again.
After Bengal BJP president
Sukanta Majumdar
’s arrest for a brief period on Saturday, a police team kept vigil on Adhikari’s Contai home.
BJP workers sat on a dharna at Tamluk, protesting the curbs on Adhikari.
In Jharkhand’s Ranchi, internet services were restored after a 32-hour blackout following Friday’s violence. Sec 144 was withdrawn from six areas in the district. A patient injured in Friday’s clashes had briefly gone missing from the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, but was traced and brought back. Of the 13 injured being treated there, seven are out of danger, the hospital said.
Section 144 was clamped in Assam’s Barak Valley districts of Karimganj and Cachar as a precautionary measure.