Day after UP mausoleum vandalised by mob security tightened cops trying to identify accused

Kanpur, Aug 12 (PTI) Security was beefed up in and around a mausoleum in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district on Tuesday, a day after right-wing groups stormed the premises and damaged graves, claiming it to be a Hindu temple site and demanding permission to offer prayers.
    The entire area is under constant surveillance now, police said.
    "Entry to the site for all, barring security personnel, has been banned. Those parts of the mausoleum that were vandalised by the mob have already been repaired," a senior official said.
    Additional police force from neighbouring Kaushambi district as well as reserve force from Prayagraj have been deployed in the area. Security forces also took out a flag march on Monday.
    "Strict vigil is being maintained and the entire area is now under constant drone surveillance," Superintendent of Police, Fatehpur, Anoop Kumar Singh said.
    No one will be allowed to take the law into their hands, he said, adding that raids are being carried out to nab the accused.
    "We have found multiple videos showing several people carrying saffron flags, chanting 'Jai Shree Ram' around the tomb, but no one was seen carrying firearms," the SP said.
    As many as 160 people, including 10 named, have been booked in connection with Monday's incident, and charged with damaging public property and disturbing the peace.
    Another senior police official said no one has been arrested so far. Video footage of Monday's incident is being examined to establish the identities of the accused, he said.
    Among those named in the FIR are Dharmendra Singh (Bajrang Dal), Abhishek Shukla (BJP), Ajay Singh (district panchayat member), Devnath Dhakad (BJP), Vinay Tiwari (municipal councillor), Pushpraj Patel, Rithik Pal (BJP), Prasoon Tiwari (BJP), Ashish Trivedi and Pappu Chauhan (Samajwadi Party).
    The Samajwadi Party promptly expelled Chauhan.
    "Yes, he was expelled from the party after he was named in the FIR," SP's Fatehpur unit chief Surendra Singh Yadav told PTI.
    A senior official of the intelligence wing said the district administration, police and state home department were alerted about the possibility of some groups creating unrest in Fatehpur.
    Additional Director General of Police, Prayagraj, Sanjeev Gupta visited the site on Monday night and outlined a strategy to prevent any further disturbances.
    In a letter to the district magistrate, the Ulema Council condemned the incident, accusing certain organisations of trying to damage a historical monument "on the pretext of temple claims".
    It demanded strict action against the culprits and protection for the national heritage site.
    Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Monday said the government has taken the incident seriously and the guilty will not be spared.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)