Days after police arrested a few people involved in the Sultanpur violence, which erupted on October 10 after Muslims objected to music played by a DJ during a Durga Puja immersion ceremony in the Baldirai district, the accused have begun to play the victim. According to reports, after the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) requested a report on the violence, a Muslim cleric claimed that police were taking action only against the Muslim side.
Reportedly a delegation led by Maulana Mehatrul Islam met the district magistrate of Sultanpur on Wednesday, October 12 and decried the fact that those arrested in the case were mostly Muslims. The police, however, confirmed that the arrests have been made based on the CCTV footage and video clips of the incident.
Superintendent of Police, Sultanpur, Somen Barma said, “On the basis of CCTV footage and video clips of the incident, 55 people have been identified of whom 32 have been arrested. The arrested persons include the principal and maulvi of a madrassa who had reportedly incited the mob to hurl stones at the procession.”
The officer said that the statements of local residents present there had also been recorded.
Based on the aforementioned evidence, the police charged the accused with an attempt to murder and registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act, 2020.
Sultanpur violence
The incident dates back to October 10, 2022, when the Maa Bhagwati immersion procession began in Para Bazar town and progressed till near the Baba Junglenath Mahadev Temple. Because the procession was so long, it made its way around a nearby mosque. Following this, members from the mosque came out and demanded the procession to stop playing the songs. Upon this, individuals from both sides confronted each other, and an altercation ensued. Hundreds of people arrived within minutes, and the disagreement escalated into stone pelting, injuring numerous individuals and torching several vehicles. At least 20 people including police officers were injured in the clashes.
According to reports, the event was not random and appeared to be pre-planned, since hundreds of individuals assembled in minutes to disrupt the procession.