Bareilly: An FIR was registered against 42 people, including two named individuals, on Wednesday for allegedly burning an effigy of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand and blocking a road in Bareilly city, police said.
Police said they are scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify the unknown accused and have arrested two of those allegedly involved in the protests.
“An FIR has been lodged under BNS sections 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 285 (Danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) against Samir, Firdous, and 40 unidentified individuals over the incident,” Bareilly SP (City) Manush Parik said.
“Two of the accused have been arrested. Strict action will be taken against all those involved,” he added.
Narsinghanand’s had allegedly made objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
The incident took place late on Monday night when a group of locals gathered at the Eent Pajaya crossing and allegedly set the effigy on fire. The crowd allegedly misbehaved with police when it reached there, he said.
Police used mild force to disperse the gathering and detained two youths, he said.
Later, a crowd from a specific community gathered outside the police station to demand the release of the detained individuals.
ASP Devendra Kumar and Inspector Amit Pandey, along with additional police forces, arrived at the police station and urged the crowd to disperse peacefully, he said.
“When the group refused to cooperate and began misbehaving, police took stern action and dispersed the gathering,” he added.
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