Three persons, including one Tanver and one Uvesh (alias Bhuria), have been arrested and police “raids” are on to nab around a dozen others who allegedly molested two hijab-clad women and assaulted a man from another community who had accompanied them to a market in Meerut on Friday afternoon. A video of the incident went viral soon after. The police action followed demonstrations by the ruling party’s affiliate, the Bharatiya Yuva Jan Morcha (BYJM)
As provided by the first information report (FIR) lodged at Kotwali police station by one of the two women on Saturday evening, she had gone to Bhagat Singh Market along with a friend and a colleague to buy a birthday gift for another friend. “When we were inside a shop at the market, I called our friend by his name…for some suggestion, but the shop owners and those present there at the time raised an objection. They alleged that (he) influenced two hijab-clad women and started beating him. Soon, nearby shop owners also joined them and they removed our hijab and molested us. We somehow managed to free ourselves and filed the complaint at Kotwali police station the next day,” said one of the women whose statement was recorded by the police.
After the matter came to light, states Indian Express, Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan put personnel from four police stations and a team each from the Special Operations Group (SOG), surveillance and crime branch to investigate the case. In an unusually proactive stance, the Uttar Pradesh home department has also sought details of the incident.
“Based on the available CCTV footage, we identified 15 persons involved in the incident and arrested three, while special teams are conducting raids to nab the others. We will take strict action against those involved,” said the SSP.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Kotwali) Amit Kumar Rai identified the arrested as Tanveer, Shan Mohammed and Uvesh alias Bhura. “We are hopeful that others will be arrested soon. A report under IPC sections 352 (assault),354 (assault or use of criminal force to any woman to outrage her modesty), 504 (insulting intentionally to provoke), 506 (criminal intimidation), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt and 295A (deliberate, malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) has been lodged in this connection,” DSP Rai added.
On May 15, Monday, activists of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) reportedly held a demonstration at Kotwali police station and demanded that all the accused be booked under the National Security Act (NSA) as they tried to disrupt the communal harmony in the town.
BJYM executive committee member Ankit Chaudhary, who led the demonstration, also met the SSP along with other leaders. “We will not let the offenders escape the law of the land. They deliberately…tried to create communal trouble in Meerut,” Chaudhary said.
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