High drama unfolded in Jamia Nagar late night (at about 12: 45 AM) after reports surfaced of arrival of cops allegedly from Haryana in plain clothes to arrest three youths from a flat near Al-Taqwa Mosque in Joba Bai. The cops, who arrived at the flat with the help of a local Muslim informer, arrested the youths (outsiders from Meerut) in connection with a theft case. Two girls were rescued and more than twenty stolen mobiles were recovered from the flat and later on the arrested youths were marched to the Jamia Nagar police station where many residents and local leaders also assembled in protest, according to Okhla MLA Asif Md. Khan. The arrival of the police in plain clothes created confusion in the locality. Many local leaders and vigilant residents got angry with the incident. Some educated residents even spread the words of the “illegal” arrest on WhatsApp without verifying the incident. The message that many residents got was that the cops had come to pick up innocent youths. Some even reminded residents of the Batla House encounter. More than 500 people assembled outside the Jamia Nagar police station demanding strict action against the Haryana cops for arresting the youth without informing the local police station, according to AAP leader Zia Choudhary. Had the local police not acted sensibly the volatile situation would have gone out of hand. AAP leader Irfan Ullah Khan, who was at the police station, told OKHLATIMES that we appreciate the way local police handled the situation. “Once the police informed us about the criminal background of the three arrested youths who later on were sent for medical test, we ended our protest. Despite this I think that the Haryana police would have been more careful. They violated the law by landing up in the locality in plain clothes. “Above all the local police were not informed. We object to such things and we want that from now onwards police should follow proper guidelines. We are not in support of any criminals and police should have the freedom to arrest and investigate crime cases but for this law should be followed.” MLA Khan said that he was deeply upset by the way efforts were made to blow thing out of proportion. “Before creating ruckus it is important that we should verify the incident properly. If we continue to protest agaisnt every arrest then the days are not far away when hard-core criminals will take shelter in the locality in the hope that local residents will protect them against the police.”
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 12:29:25 +0000
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