LUCKNOW: Hours after a Hazratganj police team arrested Samajwadi Party IT cell member Manish Jagan Agarwal, he was released on Monday.
The arrest of Manish had created a furore among his party members as Samajwadi Party chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav had reached the state police headquarters unannounced to protest against his arrest. Scores of SP workers had staged a protest outside the DGP headquarters.
Later, in the day, the SP chief had gone to meet Manish in the jail, but the authorities did not allow him.
Assistant commissioner of police, Hazratganj, Arvind Verma, told TOI that Manish was arrested for the breach of peace and sent to a day in judicial custody by the remand magistrate on Sunday.
“On Monday, Manish got bail from the court of ACP, Cantonment, and was released,” he said.
On Sunday, Lucknow police had issued an official statement on the issue, stating that Manish was arrested following an FIR lodged by a journalist, Vishwa Gaurav Tripathi, under the charges of 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153-B (assertions against national integration), 295-A (hurting religious sentiments), 420 (fraud) of IPC and sections of the IT Act in connection with a series of unsavoury remarks made on SP’s social media handle. Police had added that it had charge-sheeted Manish in another FIR registered under charges of IPC’s section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and the IT Act.
Manish was lodged in jail around 11.30 am on Sunday and was released around 6.30 am on Monday.
