District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh has clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district after Bishada villagers in Dadri announced panchayat for Monday and additional security personnel have been deployed in the village, officials said.
The court, which quashed the emergency powers invoked by the state for land acquisition, also asked the state to invite objections from land owners.
The government told the Bombay high court on Friday that the empowered group of ministers decided that Mukesh Ambani-led RIL will start supplying gas from the KG basin to Anil Ambani's Dadri power project and other upcoming power plants once it is ready to begin operations.
Ikhlaq's daughter, Shaishta, has been made the prime witness in the case.
A group formed by controversial Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Yogi Adityanath --known for his interest in religious conversions dubbed "ghar wapasi" -- offered all possible help "including guns" to the Hindus of Dadri's Bisada village.
The National Security Act is likely to be invoked against killers of the Mohammad Akhlaq, who was brutally beaten to death on Monday night after locals suspected him of storing and consuming beef.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the core values of diversity, tolerance and plurality of Indian civilisation must be kept in mind and cannot be wasted, in remarks that come against the backdrop of the Dadri lynching over rumours of beef eating.
Congress on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "break his silence" over the alleged "provocative" statements by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in connection with the Dadri lynching, saying that not doing so would suggest that they had his "approval".
"There's no space for hate politics in our country. Today's result is a tribute to my father, and against hate and communalism. People should realise there is no gain in fighting in the name of religion. I appeal to all politicians not to divide the country for the sake of power, said Sartaj.
Villagers draped his coffin in a tricolour, saying he had been martyred protecting "Hindu values".
His cavalcade was stopped by authorities citing protests and tension in the village.
Prachi alleged "conspiracy" behind the administration's move and asked why the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi's entry was not curbed in a similar manner.
Reliance Energy on Thursday said it will invest more than Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) for setting up the Dadri power plant in Uttar Pradesh.
The 22-year-old was moved from Noida's Kailash Hospital, where he was being treated for the past 12 days.
After dithering for months on the issue of recommending a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Dadri lynching case, the Uttar Pradesh government said if the Allahabad high court found an inquiry by the investigation agency relevant, it would honour and implement the order.
'Even if the media is partisan, the BJP, governing at the Centre, has the most to lose if India descends into widespread communal violence.' 'Fanning the flames either by vested political interests or by partisan reports only plays into the hands of those seek a conflagration.'
Demanding justice for his father, who was lynched by a mob over rumours in Dadri area of UP, his son Mohammad Sartaj on Monday appealed against politicising the issue.
Union Minister Mahesh Sharma on Thursday said the brutal killing of 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri by a mob for 'suspected' storing and consuming beef "should be considered an accident and no communal colour should be added to it."
'Today, the target of this rage are the weaker sections of society -- Muslims, Dalits, liberal thinkers/writers who challenge its ideology. But tomorrow, it could be anyone stepping out of a pub; reading a book or watching a movie by an artist considered an anti-Hindu/anti-national,' says Durba Dhyani.
'The reason I call Dadri a landmark turning point in our politics is the relatively muted response of the self-styled secular forces.' 'Top leaders of the Congress haven't even taken a padyatra to the village, just a 40 minute drive from Delhi. Lalu, Nitish, Mamata, all claimants to the secular vote, are afraid of messing with an issue involving the cow.' 'Holiness of the cow has now become as multi-partisan an issue as hostility to Pakistan,' says Shekhar Gupta.
"Whatever he (Som) spoke has been videographed. I have asked legal experts to examine his statement....the statement he made in the village and the statement he made to the media persons. If any action is needed to be taken as per law, it will be taken," the District Magistrate N P Singh said.
"This wasn't an attack over meat. He has been killed in the name of religion. This is a pre-planned, cold-blooded killing. It cannot be an accident," said Owaisi.
'It would be a folly on our part to believe that the KKK or its Indian version exists only as some dedicated organisation. Rather, the Indian KKK, much like the American counterpart, exists as a fragmented and amorphous collection of independent groups and individuals,' says Shehzad Poonawalla.
Residents of Dadri's Bishada, nurse a deep resentment over being "unfairly victimised", as visitors make a beeline to the crime spot in the village
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for communal harmony and brotherhood in the country, saying Hindus and Muslims should work together to fight the common enemy of poverty and ignore "irresponsible" statements made by politicians, even if he himself makes any.
Senior officers admit the BJP's revival, and the mainstreaming of the Hindutva narrative that has accompanied this political shift, have complicated communal relations within the army.
The victim's mother Omvati alleged police harassment and said that her son was under immense pressure despite his name not being in the list of absconders.
'Mohammad Akhlaq's death isn't only about a Muslim being killed out of sheer communal bigotry, but also the denial of the Constitutional guarantees of "due process" under Article 21 and the freedom of choice,' says Shehzad Poonawalla, who has moved the National Commission for Minorities over the murder.
Polling started at 7 am and closed at 6 pm and there were reports of technical snags in EVMs at some places, but voting was peaceful, Election Commission officials said.
Amid mounting criticism of right wing outfits over Dadri lynching incident, Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday hit back and said it has become "fashion" for "some people" to abuse Hindus or else they contract "diarrhoea".
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Azam Khan, the Uttar Pradesh minister for urban development and minority affairs, has sought intervention of the United Nations to what he terms as "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bid to turn India into a theocratic majority nation."
Stirring the political cauldron, controversial BJP MLA Sangeet Som on Sunday visted Dadri where he attacked Samajwadi Party government, alleging it was appeasing the minority community and innocent people were being framed for lynching of a man over beef eating rumour.
The sadhvi, while replying to a question by a media person regarding Dadri lynching case said people who eat beef and kill our 'mother cow' should face the consequence similar to the one faced by the victim, Mohammed Ikhlaq.
"We won't remain silent if somebody tries to kill our mother. We are ready to kill and get killed. The Uttar Pradesh government's double standards have been exposed. The way in which the incident is being politicised is condemnable," said Maharaj.
The former BJP MLA has been held guilty under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to orders duly promulgated by government officials) for violating CrPC Section 144 restrictions at Akhlaq's Bisahda village.
National Commission for Minorities suspects there was "pre-meditated planning" behind the Dadri lynching incident and termed "disturbing" controversial statements by politicians to "make capital out of such outrages".
Ritika, who is the cousin of Geeta and Babita Phogat, took her own life after she allegedly lost a wrestling tournament final in Bharatpur on Wednesday
According to the police, a Special Task Force team retaliated when the gangster, recently released from prison on bail, opened fire at them after being cornered. His car had crashed into a pole.