Lucknow: Seven people have been arrested in connection with the Ayodhya riots. Police said the mastermind Mahesh Kumar Mishra was among those arrested.
The other accused arrested are Pratyush Srivastava, Nitin Kumar, Deepak Kumar Gaur, Brajesh Pandey and Shatrughan Prajapati.
A case has been registered against them for trying to disrupt peace and harmony in the temple city of Ayodhya and throwing provocative objects near the shrine. Police said it was in response to the Jahangirpuri clash. Security had been beefed up in Ayodhya in the wake of the incident.
The incident took place on Wednesday morning. As soon as the police received the information, they took immediate action and removed all provocative objects. Police also examined CCTV footage to identify the culprits. The district administration later held talks with religious leaders and said it would take stern action against those behind the incident.
Meat, intimidation and torn pieces of scripture were reportedly thrown outside the gates of churches. Large numbers of police have been deployed across the city to maintain law and order.
