Obscene gesture matter: Prohibitory orders imposed in Uttarakhand town as tension persists

Gopeshwar: Prohibitory orders banning the assembly of people have been clamped in Nandanagar in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district where tension prevailed over a man allegedly making an obscene gesture towards a teenaged girl, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The accused Arif Khan was produced on Tuesday in the court of Special Sessions and District Judge Dharam Singh, who sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

He will be kept at the Pursari district jail during the period, special public prosecutor Rakesh Mohan Pant said.

Chamoli Sub Divisional Magistrate Rajkumar Pandey said prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed in Nandanagar and areas within 200 metre radius of the town in view of tension prevailing there and fear amid residents, According to the orders which came into force on Monday evening, seven types of restrictions have been imposed, including a ban on the gathering of five people or more in public places and use of loud speakers in the town and adjoining areas, he said.

Dharnas and demonstrations, movement with arms and ammunition, uploading of provocative comments and material on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and X which have the potential to disrupt peace have also been banned, he said.

Tension gripped Nandanagar tehsil on September 1 when the accused, who ran a barber shop in the town, allegedly made an obscene gesture towards a local girl.

Locals took to the streets in protest and vandalised some shops.

Though the accused was arrested on Sunday night from Bijnor in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, protests continued in the town even on Monday.

The sensitivity of the matter, which involves people belonging to two different communities, prompted the administration to issue prohibitory orders.