Bareilly Police arrested two more associates of Ittehad-e-Millat Council president Tauqeer Raza Khan following a shootout in Fatehganj Pashchimi Wednesday morning.
Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who has been accused of “masterminding” the violence that erupted after Friday prayers in Bareilly on September 26, was arrested on Sunday.
Superintendent of Police, Bareilly, Anurag Arya said that the arrested men have been identified as Mohd Idris alias Bora (50) and Iqbal alias Bundan Khan (48), both residents of Shahjahanpur. “They sustained injuries in the encounter, following which they were admitted to the hospital,” said Arya.
Arya said that during questioning, the men admitted that they were present at the protest site on September 26 and were called there by Nadeem Khan. Nadeem, also an associate of Tauqeer, was arrested earlier.
According to police, the accused had allegedly snatched a constable’s anti-riot firearm and opened fire at police during the September 26 clash following Friday prayers.
“On Wednesday, the SOG (Special Operations Group) and CB Ganj police team cordoned off the canal area when the accused opened fire in an attempt to escape. In retaliatory action, both sustained bullet injuries in their legs before being overpowered.”
Police recovered the stolen anti-riot gun, two country-made pistols, three live cartridges, two spent cartridges, a bike, and mobile phones from them.
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“An SIT is carrying out the investigation. We have also found evidence that some outsiders were involved in the incident,” the SP said.
Arya said the crackdown against those who attempted to incite unrest in the city would continue. “There is no question of sparing anyone who tried to set Bareilly on fire,” he said.
“Police records reveal that Idris faces over 20 cases of theft, dacoity and under the Gangster Act while Iqbal has 17 cases including robbery and Arms Act violations,” said the SP.
As of Tuesday, 73 people were held over the violence.
