HC grants anticipatory bail to one Bareilly violence accused

The Allahabad High Court has granted an anticipatory bail plea to Altamas Khan, one of the accused in last year’s Bareilly violence case.

Justice Ashutosh Srivastava on Monday allowed the anticipatory bail application of Altamas Khan.

According to the police case, on September 26 last year, Maulana Tauqeer Raza had given a call for members of a particular community to assemble at Islamiya Inter College in Bareilly.

Despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS being in force, a crowd of about 500 people gathered, proceeding from Maulana Azad Inter College towards Shyamganj Chauraha. The crowd, holding boards and raising provocative slogans, paid little heed to the warnings and persuasions made by the police personnel at the spot.

The situation escalated when the accused persons became aggressive and adamant to proceed.

Thereafter, allegedly, brickbats, stones and acid bottles were thrown at the police force by the accused persons in the crowd, and gunshots were also fired from the crowd at the police personnel.

According to the FIR, in the ensuing violence, the clothes of police personnel were torn, with two officers sustaining injuries. The allegations also add that the aggressive actions of the crowd created an atmosphere of terror in the area. Forcing the police authorities to open fire in self-defence after failing to persuade the mob through rational discourse.

Applicant’s counsel submitted that he had no role in the alleged crime and was not initially named in the FIR, but he was falsely implicated in the case.