Authorities preparing to detain Bareilly clash accused Tauqeer Raza Khan under NSA

Bareilly (UP), Oct 9 (PTI) Trouble is likely to mount for Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan as authorities are preparing to detain him under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

The cleric, currently lodged in Fatehgarh Central Jail, is unlikely to be brought to Bareilly anytime soon, officials said on Thursday.

Clashes had taken place on September 26 between police and a large crowd gathered outside a mosque in the Kotwali area of Bareilly after Friday prayers over the cancellation of a protest called by Raza on the "I Love Muhammad" poster row.

The police and the district administration are believed to be firm on their decision to slap the NSA on Raza, citing his criminal background and the recent unrest in the city, to keep him under detention. Officials have also requested that all his court hearings be conducted through video conferencing to avoid law and order issues.

Bareilly Range DIG Ajay Kumar Sahni said, "There are sufficient grounds to detain Maulana Tauqeer Raza under the NSA. Given his record and the city's fragile situation, his presence in Bareilly is not appropriate." He added that the police have tightened their grip on Raza's associates, with more names being added after analysis of CCTV footage and social media videos related to the September 26 violence.

The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India". The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.

It can be invoked by the local administration and has to be ratified by a board headed by a former high court judge. Because it is preventive detention and not arrest, there is no legal obligation to present the detainee before a court of law.

Seventeen new accused have been identified, and two more people were arrested on Wednesday, taking the total number of arrests to 88.

So far, ten FIRs have been registered, naming 125 individuals and over 3,000 unidentified persons.

SSP Anurag Arya said that several accused, including Rafiq Beg, Majeed Beg, Rizwan, Nasir Khan, Laeeq Ahmad, Shafile Ahmad, Jafar, Shakeel and Haseen, have been identified as active rioters.

"Their names were added after verification through social media footage, video surveillance and call detail records. The accused were found to be present at the riot spots. New software tools have proved effective in matching dump data and CCTV footage to confirm their involvement," Arya said. PTI COR CDN KSS KSS