‘Sar tan se juda’ slogans raised on Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan's directions: Charge sheet in Bareilly violence
According to the chargesheet, the accused attacked police teams while raising aggressive slogans after receiving directions from Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan
A recent charge sheet filed in the September 26 violence in Bareilly has alleged that “sar tan se juda” (beheading) slogans were raised on the directions of cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan. The charge sheet, filed on Friday, also said that the police teams were attacked during the violence in Uttar Pradesh.
In the charge sheet, the police have named 38 people, including Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), as the main accused, PTI reported.
It said that the accused attacked police teams at two locations while raising aggressive and provocative slogans after receiving directions from Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan.
Superintendent of Police Manush Pareek told reporters, “Chargesheets have already been filed in 10 cases related to the violence in the city.”
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The violence broke out in September after Raza reportedly called upon his supporters to gather at the Islamia College grounds. Following Friday prayers, the crowd became unruly, forcing the police to resort to lathi-charge at multiple locations to control the situation.
A total of 10 FIRs
In the latest case, registered at Baradari police station, those named include Tauqeer Raza Khan, Mohammad Azam, Farhat Khan, Moin Khan, Umed, Mustaqim, Arwaaz, Nazim Raza Khan, Mohsin and others. One of the accused is a minor, while two are from Shahjahanpur, Pareek said.
“A total of 10 FIRs were registered at Baradari, Kotwali, Prem Nagar, Qila, and Cantt police stations on September 26, with two more cases added later. Chargesheets have so far been filed in the 10 main cases involving over 100 accused, of whom 87 are in jail. Investigations in two cases are still ongoing,” he added.
Inspector Dhananjay Pandey of Baradari police station said violence first broke out when, “during a city patrol, miscreants attacked a police team near Shahdana Road. Following the call of Maulana Tauqeer Raza, a crowd chanted ‘tan se juda’ slogans and tried to march towards Islamia Maidan.”
“Police personnel, along with reinforcements, reached Shyamatganj Bridge, where around 200–250 people, including the named accused, allegedly attacked the police team again,” Pareek said.
The crime branch, led by Inspector Sanjay Dheer, carried out the investigation that resulted in the latest chargesheet.
“During the probe, nine additional names were identified and included in the chargesheet,” officials said.
Bareilly turned tense on September 26 after protesters opposing FIRs over “I Love Muhammad” posters clashed with police following Friday prayers, after they were denied permission to hold a demonstration. Several people, including police personnel, were injured in the clashes. Police registered 10 FIRs, booking hundreds of people, mostly unidentified, in connection with the violence.
