Meerut remained tense on Monday after a group of Muslim men protesting against the lynching of Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand were lathi-charged by the police on Sunday evening.
It was followed by an anonymous WhatsApp message that called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ to raise voice against alleged atrocities being committed against Muslims. On Monday morning, Meerut police used force to prevent another group of Muslim men in the Mawana town of the district from protesting against the Jharkhand lynching.
Internet services remained blocked for the major part of the day.
Dr. Laxmikant Bajpai, former State president of the BJP, described the lathi charge at Faiz-e-Aam College as an administrative failure. “They should not be allowed to gather on the college premises. What happened in Jharkhand was sad, but what was the point of protesting about it in Meerut,” he asked.
Retired AMU professor Zainus Sajidin Siddiqui, a Meerut resident and Sheher Qazi who was one of the catalysts for the protest, said once the videos of lynching went viral, popular eruptions were going to be widespread. “There seems to be a pattern. They want to create fear among Muslims. We called for a peaceful assembly after the administration refused the protest march. While going back, one of the groups got slightly agitated but the police used brute force and abused old men… 10-15 people were injured. It is an emotive issue and should have been handled carefully.”
Section 144 imposed
Akhilesh Singh, SP (City) Meerut, said that Section 144 was in place and the organisers were warned against taking out a procession.
The bandh call didn’t impact businesses in Meerut city on Monday.
In Mawana, SP Rural Avinash Pandey said “vested interests” wanted to spoil the peaceful atmosphere. “We only used mild force.”
