13 booked for holding candle-lit march at Lucknow protest

Uzma Parveen, mother of a seven-month-old baby, a regular face at the protest, was also booked

Advocate Mohammad Shoaib and theatre activist Deepak Kabir were among the 13 persons booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police for leading a candle-lit march at the Hussainabad Clocktower protest on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

Mr. Shoaib and Mr. Kabir were jailed for the violence that took place in Lucknow on December 19 and had been recently released from jail on bail.

The candle-lit march took place at the sit-in at the foot of the clocktower being held by women against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) since January 17.

While 13 persons were named in the First Information Report (FIR), hundreds of unidentified others were also charged.

The FIR invoked Sections 147 (rioting), 145 (joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code. Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act was also included.

Uzma Parveen, mother of a seven-month-old baby, a regular face at the protest, was also booked.

As per the FIR, hundreds of protesters tried to take out a candle-lit march near the clocktower and allegedly got into an altercation with the police on the question of raising a tent at the site.

Police said that despite warning the protesters that prohibitory Section 144 was imposed, they continued to hold the march.

Their act created a situation of “chaos” near the clocktower, causing people to run around, and also led to a traffic jam, police said.

The police also detained seven protesters.