10 held for anti-CAA slogans in Mohanlalganj

LUCKNOW: Ten protesters were arrested and around 50-60 unidentified people booked for unlawful assembly on Wednesday as they allegedly shouted slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Mohanlalganj railway station on the outskirts of Lucknow, the police said.

“It was not at all a peaceful protest and they could not be allowed to create a nuisance like this as Section 144 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) is already in place in the city,” deputy commissioner of police (South) Pooja Yadav said.

She said 10 people named in the FIR were arrested while others were being identified by scanning CCTV footage of the railway station. Yadav said the protesters were booked under Sections 188 of the IPC (disobeying government order), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (intimidation). This is the seventh FIR against anti-CAA protesters in Lucknow this month. These January FIRs do not include those lodged after violence rocked the state capital on December 19 last year.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow police are now focusing on arresting the people already named in

the FIRs filed against those staging sit-ins at Clock Tower in the old city and Ujariaon in Gomti Nagar.

Police on Tuesday arrested Laiq Hasan, a former Jamia Millia Islamia student, who was named in an FIR on January 24 for violation of Section 144 and using force to deter the police

from performing their duty.

Nine others, including Shia cleric Kalbe Sadiq’s son Kalbe Sibtain, who is still at large, were booked in the same FIR.

Additional DCP (West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi said, “Soon, non-bailable warrants will be issued against those evading arrest.”