The situation across Uttar Pradesh remains tense on Friday in the wake of violence in Lucknow and Sambhal, where protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) turned ugly on Thursday.
As of now, the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested over 350 people in connection with Thursday's violent protests, which led not only to the destruction of property but also the death of one protester in Lucknow.
Here are 10 key developments of Anti-CAA protests in Uttar Pradesh:
The anti-CAA protests in parts of Uttar Pradesh turned out to be the most violent among all other protests in the country. The protests in Lucknow and Sambhal, in particular, turned ugly as protesters clashed with police, pelted stones, burnt post station and caused significant damage to property.
A total of 19 FIRs have also been registered by cops in connection to the protests in Lucknow while 17 people (known) and 250 (unknown) have been booked for cases of arson, violence, and destruction of property.
Over 350 people have been arrested on suspicion of participating in the violent protests witnessed in Lucknow (150), Sambhal (30) and other parts of the state. Arrests were also made in Mau, Varanasi, Aligarh and Prayagraj after somewhat violent protests on Thursday. Cases have also been registered against Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman and another leader Feroz Khan.
Section 144, which was imposed throughout the state on Thursday is still in place in the wake of the violent anti-CAA protests in India's most populous state. Internet services continue to remain blocked in at least 15 districts across seven cities in UP.
A red Alert was also been issued in Aligarh and heavy security has been deployed in view of the first day of Friday prayers since police cracked down on students of Aligarh Muslim University. A senior official has told PTI that District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh has issued a red alert.
A senior official said that District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh has issued a red alert, and 10 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and four companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed as a precautionary measure.
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In Lucknow, internet services will remain suspended for at least a couple of days, reported IANS. In Ghaziabad, too, mobile internet services have been suspended till 10 pm tonight. Internet services have been shut down in Sambhal, Aligarh, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Deoband, Mau, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Agra, Saharanpur, Pilibhit, Mathura and Kanpur.
Violence was mainly recorded in the Old City area of Lucknow, where protesters hurled stones damaged police vehicles and outposts. This forced cops to use tear gas shells to control the situation.
A state-run bus was burnt in Lucknow's Parivartan Chowk area while a police post in Sathkhanda was also torched. Another police post was also damaged in Madeyganj. Areas like Hasanganj and Hazratganj witnessed heavy protests, where protesters pelted stones at the cops, ran away from the spot and then came back again to attack. Many media OB vans were also torched by the angry protesters.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condemned violent protests and vowed to take "revenge" against the miscreants for damaging public property. He said the losses caused will be compensated from the pockets perpetrators of yesterday's violence.
In total, more than a dozen vehicles were burnt by the raging group of protesters who defied Section 144 to show their dissatisfaction over the newly amended Citizenship Act. Violent protests were also observed in Mangaluru, Bihar, Ahmedabad and Vadgam.