2010 riots: Bareilly police launch manhunt for Tauqeer Raza
LUCKNOW : The Bareilly police launched a massive manhunt in search of UP cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, chief of Ittehade-Millat Council (IMC), as the court of the district judge (DJ) of Bareilly declared him absconder in connection with the 2010 Bareilly riots case, said senior police officials on Tuesday.
Earlier, the court of ADG Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Fast Track Court-I had issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Khan on March 13 and directed the police to arrest and produce him before the court. The DJ court, however, had taken up the case and fixed the date of his appearance on April 1, taking cognizance of the application filed by another accused seeking the transfer of the riots case from the ADG court. In between, Khan approached the Allahabad high court seeking bail in the matter, upon which the court asked him to appear before the trial court, the DJ court, to seek bail until March 27 and made the NBW ineffective until then. Khan neither appeared before the DJ court on March 27 nor on Monday, defying the high court order, after which he was declared an absconder.
“After he was declared an absconder by the DJ court, the Bareilly police launched an intensive search for Khan to produce him in court before the next scheduled date in the case on April 8. Police teams were sent to Delhi, where he was claimed to be admitted on March 26, while another team was sent to Hyderabad in search of him. The police officers are also trying to coordinate with Uttarakhand police as he is also likely to be staying there,” said a senior police official of Bareilly.
A court official informed that the cleric’s lawyer appeared before the trial court to give an application on his behalf, but the court refused to accept it as the Allahabad HC had directed the cleric to appear before the trial court on Wednesday, and now he must file an application in the high court to get any relief in the matter. He said the police could now arrest him in compliance with the trial court directives.
Bareilly additional district government counsel Digamber Patel informed that Khan has been elusive since the trial court of ADJ Ravi Kumar Diwakar first summoned him, taking suomotu cognizance of his alleged involvement in a 2010 riots case.
The riots in Bareilly erupted after clashes between two groups on March 2, 2010. Tauqeer Raza allegedly delivered an inflammatory speech, which led to the torching of a police post and houses belonging to members of a specific community.