Seven arrested, more than 30 booked for Meerut protest over woman's murder

Meerut (UP), Jul 9 (PTI) Seven people have been arrested and more than 30 others booked for unlawful assembly and attacking police personnel, among other charges, in connection with a protest over a woman's murder here, officials said on Thursday. Of those booked, more than 25 are unidentified, they said. Protesters gathered at the commissioner's crossing here on Wednesday to protest the murder of the woman, Lalita Gautam (20). According to police, Gautam went missing from the T P Nagar area on May 15 and was found dead in the Rohta area on May 17. The main accused was arrested on May 18 and another accused was arrested later for allegedly destroying evidence. Police said the investigation had since revealed the role of more people. The victim's family has been kept informed about the developments in the case throughout. Some people instigated the family and organised the blockade outside the Collectorate on the pretext of submitting a memorandum, police said. Seven people were arrested late on Wednesday night. Six named persons and more than 25 unidentified individuals have been booked for unlawful assembly, blocking traffic, threatening self-immolation and spreading inflammatory content on social media, police said. The protesters had gathered without permission and blocked a key road. They attempted to force their way into the district magistrate's office after breaking the main gate and assaulted police and administrative officials despite repeated requests to disperse. Eleven policemen were injured in the incident, they said. One of the organisers threatened self-immolation to pressure the police personnel, they said. According to police, the nearly six-hour road blockade disrupted traffic and affected commuters. Two ambulances were stuck in traffic before police cleared the route. Social media posts linked to the protest sought to spread misinformation, incite people against police and promote caste-based animosity. CCTV footage, videos and social media content are being analysed to identify other participants, police said. PTI COR ABN DIV DIV