Police file FIRs for offering namaaz on roads on Eid in UP

The police have registered five FIRs at different police stations in Kanpur and Aligarh against more than hundreds of unidentified people for offering namaaz on the roads on the day of Alvida Namaz (April 21) and Eid-ul-Fitr (April 22), officials said.

In Kanpur, the police have registered three FIRs against 1,700 people for offering prayers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on the road at Badi Eidgah, Benajhabar, Jajmau and Babupurwa.

In Benajhabar, an FIR was lodged against 1,500 people. Similarly, FIR was lodged against 200 to 300 in Jajmau and 30 to 40 people in Babupurwa. Members of Eidgah managing committees are among the accused.

Sub-Inspector Brijesh Kumar, who lodged an FIR in Kanpur's Babupurwa, said it had been decided during a peace committee meeting that prayers would only be offered inside the Eidgah and those who could not offer prayers due to congestion would do so in the second shift that the police were to arrange.

Similarly, the FIR lodged with Bajaria police states that despite prohibitory orders, hundreds of people placed their mats on the roads and participated in Eid prayers. Police tried to dissuade them from doing so, but they did not pay heed to it.

The FIRs were lodged under Section 186 (obstructing public servants), 188 (disobedience and gathering crowd in defiance of section 144), 283 (obstructing the public way, 341 (wrongful restraint) and 353 (criminal force to deter public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Kanpur's Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central, Pramod Kumar, said the police were examining the CCTV and drone footage.

In Aligarh, two cases were registered at two different police stations against unidentified people for offering namaaz on the road on the day of Alvida Namaz and Eid-ul-Fitr. Police investigations are on in connection with the matter related to cases registered at Kotwali Nagar and Delhi Gate police stations of Aligarh.

These cases were registered for violation of prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after those insisting on sitting on the road, resisted police efforts to dissuade them.

People offered namaaz on roads connecting Khatikan Crossing with Subji Mandi Crossing and Charkhwalan Crossing to Marghatwale Road in Aligarh city on April 21 and 22.

In this connection, cases have been registered at Kotwali Nagar and Delhi Gate police stations.

"Elaborate arrangements were made by district administration and police at Aligarh. Meetings were held with religious leaders and representatives of peace committee to ensure that namaaz was not offered on the roads on Eid. Such information was circulated through media also," said Aligarh Superintendent of Police (SP), Kuldeep Singh Gunawat.

"However, a few unidentified (people) violated the prohibitory orders during Alvida Namaz and festival of Eid. They sat on road for namaaz despite police and administration persuading them not to do so. In this process, traffic was hampered and Section 144 was violated. As such cases were registered on Wednesday at the Dehli Gate and Kotwali police stations of Aligarh city against unidentified people," the Aligarh SP added.

These cases were registered under Section 186 (obstructing public servant), 188 (Disobedience of order), 283 (causing danger or obstruction in public way), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 353 (criminal force to deter public servant) of the IPC on Wednesday.

Police officials are now reviewing CCTV footage to identify those who violated the prohibitory orders.