9 killed as violence rocks several UP districts after Friday prayers
ANTI-CAA PROTESTS Several people injured, some with gun shot wounds; Net suspended in 16 dists
LUCKNOW: Despite massive police bandobast and internet suspension, large-scale violence and arson rocked several Uttar Pradesh districts soon after Friday prayers during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, resulting in nine deaths (six officially) and injuries to several others, some with gunshot wounds.
Director general of police O P Singh said two people lost their lives in Bijnor and one each in Meerut, Sambhal and Firozabad. Two more deaths were reported in Meerut, one in Kanpur and one in Varanasi, according to sources. In Varanasi, an eightyear-old boy, who suffered critical injuries in a stampede, which occurred after a lathi-charge on protesters in Bajardeeha area of Varanasi, died during treatment on Friday night. Mohammad Sagir was playing in a narrow lane when the stampede occurred. District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma confirmed the death. DGP OP Singh maintained that none of the deaths were due to police firing.
Coming a day after Thursday’s violence in Lucknow, Friday’s incidents in the other districts appeared to have taken the police by surprise.
In Kanpur, where a four-kilometre-long procession was taken out, 12 protestors were injured, including nine with gunshot injuries. Some of the injured were admitted to the LLR hospital. Eleven districts -- Meerut, Kanpur, Bulandshahr, Gorakhpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bhadohi, Farukhabad, Hapur, Firozabad, Bijnor and Varanasi – were hit by arson and violence with Meerut, Kanpur, Firozabad and Varanasi being the worst
affected districts.
Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests were also held in some other districts of the state, but they passed off peacefully.
Additional director general (ADG), Kanpur zone, Prem Prakash denied any police firing. He said: “I have no knowledge of any firing. If at all it took place, then it must be plastic pellets and injuries would be minor.”
However, Mohammad Saif, one of the injured admitted at the LLR (Lala Lajpat Rai) hospital said: “I have a bullet injury in my abdomen. The police engaged in unprovoked, aim-and-shoot firing at us.”
Friday’s protests come a day after violence and arson gripped the state capital, where one person lost his life due to gunshot injuries.
Protestors, demanding rollback of CAA, defied section 144 of the CrPC that restricted public gathering and disallowed anybody to hold protests.
Meanwhile, the day passed off peacefully in Lucknow, which was the epicentre of violence on Thursday resulting in the death of a 28-year-old man named Mohd Wakil in the Old City.
Additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi and director general of police (DGP) OP Singh visited sensitive spots and met Muslim clerics to maintain peace in Lucknow.
According to state police spokesman, cops had put under house arrest over 3,300 people in different districts while over 200 people were detained in Lucknow after Thursday’s violence.
A senior police official confirmed that internet services remained suspended all through the day in 16 districts, including Lucknow, Saharanpur, Meerut, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Mau, Sambhal, Azamgarh, Agra, Moradabad, Unnao, Kanpur, Varanasi and Bulandshahr.
On Friday, Kanpur witnessed protests in Babupurwa, Phoolbagh and Jajmau. In Babupurwa, nine persons suffered bullet wounds as police personnel opened fire while trying to restrain protesters from marching on the road after attending Friday prayers. The agitators set ablaze four police vehicles on the stretch between Bakarganj and Idgah. Besides, some protesters vandalised shops and over halfa-dozen vehicles in Yatim Khana locality.
Inspector general (IG) of police (law and order), Praveen Kumar said police had to apply force as some anti-social elements resorted to brick-batting and arson. He said protests and violence were reported from