Five preventive arrests made in Nalagarh intimidation case

Four days after booking five youth at Nalagarh for rioting, unlawful assembly and criminal intimidation, Manpura police in Baddi today took them under preventive arrest and detention.

They were produced before the Nalagarh SDM and later they where were bailed out, said a police official.

Baddi SP Ilma Afroz informed mediapersons that the five accused — Akbar alias Aku from Bagvania, Shabbir and Sonu from Manpura, Nasirrudin Sheikh of Khera and Iqbal Mohammed of Chanal Majra — had been arrested today.

Though the SP claims to have had a peaceful dialogue with the demonstrators of the majority community yesterday, the latter have expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of arrest in the first case registered at Nalagarh.

As per information, Akbar was operating a gym, Sonu is a student, Shabbir pursued agriculture and, Iqbal and Nasirrudin Sheikh were involved in small trades.

In a written complaint to the police, assessed by The Tribune, Anil Kumar, a Sallewal resident, had alleged that on October 4 he was intimidated by a youth of a particular community on his social media account and he was fearful of being attacked or roped in a false case.

He requested the police to take appropriate action against the perpetrators who had been identified by him, adding that they were insulting the majority community by posting inflammatory posts on social media.

Nalagarh MLA Hardeep Bawa blamed the Baddi police for inept handling of the incident. He said the police could have averted an unsavoury dispute between the two communities.

He added that former MLA KL Thakur should be booked for stirring communal tensions, which could have triggered riots. He said the area has never witnessed communal violence.

The MLA said the police should identify anti-social elements carrying arms in the industrial belt and seize these to maintain peace and harmony in the area.