UP Police hold talks, deploy extra cops and drones for Friday prayers

UP Police have carried out dialogues with religious leaders and the youth and will deploy additional personnel across the state and use drones to monitor sensitive areas ahead of Friday prayers. The last two Fridays saw violence over BJP erstwhile spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remark on the prophet. Religious leaders have also appealed to people to offer prayers at mosques in their localities to prevent large assemblies.

ADG Prashant Kumar said 132 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and 10 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and Rapid Action Force have been deployed across the state. Some officers have been sent to sensitive areas in some districts to supervise arrangements.

Drones were deployed in the Atala area of Prayagraj where stone pelting took place last week. Moradabad SSP Hemant Kutiyal said the police would talk to the youth as many young men and boys protested in Saharanpur and pelted stones in Prayagraj last Friday.


"We are making the youth understand how they need to focus on education; how it is not a state issue and the law is taking its course. We are also building a sense of familiarity between youngsters and the police to pre-empt any kind of violence," Kutiyal told ET.

Saharanpur SSP Akash Tomar, meanwhile, ordered a probe into a video which showed cops brutally beating up some youths in custody.