1,000 'unidentified' people booked over communal slogans, road blockade in UP's Bahraich

Bahraich (UP): Around 1,000 unidentified persons from the Muslim community have been booked for raising communal slogans over an incident of offensive comments exchanged by two schoolchildren, police said.

The people also blocked a road in the Nanpara area, causing trouble to local residents and shutting of shops. Additional police force was deployed to control the situation.

A Class 9 student was taken into custody by the local police on October 8, a day after the screenshots of his chat with another student on Instagram surfaced online and triggered tensions here, officials said.

The students made alleged objectionable remarks against each other's religions, they added.

Soon after the viral posts, a large crowd had gathered outside the boy's home in the Nanpara area on the night of October 7 where communal sloganeering was also on with demands for the child's arrest.

'Sar tan se Juda' mob hits the streets again in UP's Bahraich:

A 14-year-old Hindu boy and a Muslim boy had a heated conversation over the entry of burqa-clad women into temples. During the exchange of messages and videos, the Muslim boy sent a clip of Salman Azhari and also… pic.twitter.com/l85fIbsT5Q

— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) October 10, 2024

The Bahraich Police on Friday said an FIR has been filed at the Nanpara Kotwali under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) over the sloganeering incident.

Circle Officer (Nanpara) Pradyumna Singh said the FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by the in-charge of the Raja Bazaar police outpost.

The individuals have been charged under sections 189(2) [unlawful assembly], 126(2) [blocking roads], 132 [obstructing government work], 285 [causing public danger], 352 [insult and provocation], 353(3) [spreading misleading rumours related to religion], and Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, Singh said.

"The trouble started on October 7, when two schoolchildren made offensive remarks about each other's religion on Instagram. Despite police action against the accused minor, members of the Muslim community gathered in large numbers near the Community Health Centre in Nanpara, blocking the main road and disrupting normal life," according to the FIR accessed by PTI.

The communal slogans raised by the Muslim community members caused panic in the area and traders shut down their shops, the FIR mentioned.

Police officials attempted to clear the road, but the crowd resisted and raised slogans against the administration. Additional police forces from nearby police stations in Matera and Rupaidiha were summoned to control the situation.

The entire incident was videographed, and the police are using the footage to identify those responsible for inciting unrest, according to the FIR.

Meanwhile, in a separate action, the police arrested Shoaib, who had allegedly circulated the accused minor's photo on social media to further provoke tension, the police said.

He was arrested and jailed under charges of disturbing public peace, they added.

On October 8, Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla had stated that strict action was being taken against those attempting to disrupt public order after a visit to the tension-hit neighbourhood.

She had said legal proceedings would follow based on video evidence, and anyone found inciting violence would be held accountable.

After the incident, District Magistrate Monika Rani and SP Shukla held meetings with community leaders on October 8, urging calm and calling for restraint.

They had also cautioned against the misuse of social media, warning that provocative posts could have severe consequences, especially in a sensitive area such as Bahraich, which shares an international border with Nepal.