Members of a police and medical team who had gone to seal a hotspot near Jali Kothi in Delhigate area of Meerut were attacked by the local residents on Saturday. A magistrate, along with a sub-inspector and several other cops and paramedics, were injured in the attack.
Later, the police arrested four people, including an Imam, and a case was registered against them and National Security Act was invoked against them.
District Magistrate, Anil Dhingra and SSP, Ajay Sahani, rushed to the area and initiated action against the attackers. As per reports, three Jamaat members came to Meerut on February 24 and stayed at Dariwali Mosque in Jali Kothi area and tested corona positive on Friday. The local administration then decided to seal the area and the team was sent there on Saturday.
However, a mob suddenly attacked the team in which Sub-Inspector Mukesh Shukla was injured while City Magistrate, Sushant Jain suffered a fracture.
Later additional police force rushed to the area along with senior officers after which the attackers escaped. Heavy police force has been deputed in the area and they were patrolling the area.
Elsewhere in Mathura, ten persons were arrested for violating lockdown and pelting stones at a police team in Govardhan area on Saturday.
SSP Gaurav Grover said the police was informed that lockdown was being violated in Bhim Nagar village after which a police team reached there. He said not only were shops open in the village people were also playing cards in the open. Crowds had gathered outside shops and norms of social distancing were being flouted.
As the police team tried to convince the crowd gathered there, the mob suddenly became violent and attacked the cops with lathis, rods and even pelted stones at them. Later additional was rushed to the area and 10 persons were arrested, while 28 identified and 24 unidentified persons escaped the spot. In the process a cop suffered injuries. A case was registered and efforts were behind made to arrest the miscreants.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awinish Awasthi said more than 14,000 FIRs were registered under Section 188 of the IPC for lockdown violation against 45,483 persons and 35,000 were sent to jail.
A total of 367 FIRs were registered under EC Act against 463 offenders. Similarly over 20,000 vehicles were seized and Rs 6 crore was collected as fine for violation of traffic rules during lockdown.
Speaking on Tablighi Jamaat members, Awasthi said 2,428 Jamaatis in 20 districts were identified in UP and 2,231 were quarantined. A total of 259 foreign Tablighis were in UP whose passports have been seized.
Meanwhile, UP Shia Central Waqf Board directed its caretakers to immediately inform police if they come to know about the presence of any person who attended the Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area.
In a statement issued here, chairman of Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board stressed on attention to be paid in mosques and madrasas on the India-Nepal border. The muttawali (caretakers) were warned against sheltering Jamaatis.