NEW DELHI: Police have identified five people who are suspected to be the perpetrators of the protest held at Jama Masjid on Friday against remarks made by former BJP members Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal. Several CCTV footage have also been seized to further identify the miscreants, senior police officers said.
DCP (Central) Shweta Chauhan on Saturday said the police have registered a case under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) against the unknown persons for holding the protest without permission. “We will add more IPC sections, keeping in view the provocation as witnessed by our police force and the contents of CCTV footage that have been procured,” the DCP said.
Chauhan said, on Friday, about 1,500 people had gathered for namaz of which 150 began protesting with placards later. “Police peacefully controlled the crowd within 10-15 minutes. Since the protest took place without permission, we will take action against some who were identified and the way people came after offering namaz with banners and placards denotes that there is some kind of planning behind it,” she said.
The initial probe has revealed that the mob had gathered following some messages that were circulated on social media and WhatsApp groups. “We have identified details about some of these WhatsApp groups and more details are being gathered. People behind these accounts will be identified and legal action will be taken accordingly,” a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Saturday also wrote to Twitter and other social media platforms seeking details regarding the offensive content over their respective platforms a day after nationwide protests erupted over the controversial remarks.
