Sunday ET: VHP vows to start yatra today, police on high alert

LUCKNOW: Ahead of the VHP’s march from Ayodhya on Sunday, the Faizabad administration on Saturday cracked down on the saffron organisation arresting 50 of its activists and issuing arrest warrants against 300 members of the outfit.

The VHP had announced that the yatra, starting from Ayodhya, will cover six districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Faizabad, Basti, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich and Ambedkar Nagar. The yatra has been banned by the Uttar Pradesh government over possible communal flare-up.

Amid heavy deployment of police force in the twin towns, a team led by the Faizabad district magistrate also carried out searches at the VHP’s local headquarters and nearly half a dozen suspected hideouts of VHP activists in and around Ayodhya.

The district administration, which had earlier issued arrest orders against 70 prominent VHP leaders, has now issued warrants against 300 more leaders of the outfit. “We are conducting preventive arrests of prominent VHP leaders who might create law and order problems in the name of banned 84-Kosi Parikrama yatra,” Faizabad district magistrate Vipin Kumar Dwivedi said.

“First we had issued arrest orders for 70 VHP activists and now 300 more have came on our target. Those arrested will be detained at temporary jails, and will be booked under Section 144 of CrPC,” he said. Ashok Singhal, Pravin Togadia and Ram Vilas Vedanti were among the VHP leaders against whom the warrants were issued on Friday.

Faizabad SSP KB Singh said 50 people have already been taken into custody. The VHP has proposed to take out the “Chaurasi Kosi parikrama yatra” between August 25 and September 13 to push for a Ram temple at the disputed site in the town. The Akhilesh Yadav-led government had denied permission for the yatra.