A 47-year-old dismissed police constable has been arrested in Kanpur for allegedly attempting to incite members of a community against the government and administration by circulating provocative audio speeches after Friday prayers, officials said.
The accused, identified as Zubair Ahmed Khan alias Zubair Ghazi, circulated the audio message with the intention of creating unrest in the city, police said.
An FIR was registered on charges of “unlawful assembly and wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot” against Zubair and 25 unidentified persons at the Rail Bazaar police station on a complaint by sub-inspector Raj Mohan Mishra.
Zubair, a resident of Chandari, Sujatganj, who was dismissed from the police force in 2015, was produced in a court on Sunday and has been sent to judicial custody, the Rail bazar police station incharge said.
The identity of others who had gathered after the audio message was circulated is being established, and appropriate action will be taken against them, he added.
According to police, soon after Friday prayers, when people were heading back to their homes after offering prayers at a mosque, Zubair allegedly circulated the purported audio message with an intent to incite riots.
Nearly 20–25 people gathered near Madar Hotel crossing after the audio was circulated, they said, adding a police team was rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the crowd. The gathering eventually dispersed and returned to their homes, they said.
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“Similar to the incident in Bareilly, attempts were made here too to create unrest after prayers. However, due to the prompt intervention of the police, the situation was brought under control,” a police officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajeet Gupta said, “The police rushed made loudspeaker announcements appealing to the gathering to remain calm and quickly dispersed the crowd before the situation could spiral out of control. The situation could have turned volatile had timely action not been taken.”
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ashutosh Kumar said the police are on high alert across the district. “Teams are monitoring the situation on the ground and social media. Local intelligence unit (LIU) personnel are active in sensitive areas,” he said.
— with PTI inputs
