Meerut Police to issue 'red card' notices to 100 'troublemakers' ahead of Eid
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Ahead of Eid, the Meerut Police have identified around 100 individuals as potential law and order concerns and plan to issue them "red card" notices, an official said on Saturday.
Cases have previously been registered against these individuals on charges of causing disturbances or creating tense situations during festivals, they said.
A red card notice is primarily a preventive tool used to identify, track, and deter criminals and troublemakers.
Senior Superintendent of Police Avinash Pandey told PTI that in order to ensure a peaceful Eid, coordination with all Islamic clerics and mosque management committees has been established.
He said that officials have held discussions with the management of the district's 544 mosques and 146 Eidgahs, and all of them have given assurances that prayers will not be offered on the roads under any circumstances.
The SSP also refuted reports which had quoted him as stating that the passports of those offering prayers on roads or violating regulations would be revoked.
He clarified that no such new directive has been issued by the administration.
However, Pandey added that if any individual violates the law, strict action will certainly be taken against them.
Superintendent of Police (City) Ayush Vikram Singh told PTI that records from the past five years of individuals involved in creating disputes or tense situations during festivals have been reviewed.
Red card notices will be issued to approximately 100 such people, he said.
He noted that individuals from any religious background could be included in this list.
He explained that the notices would serve as a warning that if any attempt is made to disrupt the atmosphere during or around the time of Eid.
A case will be registered against the concerned individual, and strict action will be taken. If deemed necessary, measures may also be initiated under the National Security Act (NSA).
According to police, during Eid last year, an incident involving a scuffle with the police -- stemming from the breaking of barricades and offering of prayers on the roads -- was reported within the jurisdiction of the Railway Road police station area.
In this case, a complaint was registered against around 55 individuals, some of whom are likely to be served with the red card notice.
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Trump rushed out of dinner event after shots fired; one arrested
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump and other top White House officials were evacuated unharmed from the annual dinner of White House correspondents after a man armed with multiple weapons fired shots outside the ballroom of the hotel.
The incident took place at around 8:34 PM local time when dinner was served. At that time, Trump was seen having a conversation with Weijia Jiang, the President of the White House Correspondents' Association, and mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was scheduled to present a show at the marquee event at the Washington Hilton here.
Secret Service officials and other security personnel covered the President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J D Vance, and the Second Lady Usha Vance, who were seated at the head table, and escorted them out of the ballroom.
Several guests at the dinner, including leaders across the political spectrum, journalists and other invitees, ducked under the table, apparently as a reflex reaction.
Putting up a brave face, President Trump later announced on Truth Social that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom is all that I heard, and many guests ducked under the table,” a C-SPAN reporter at the dinner said.
Hours later, Trump addressed a press conference at the White House and announced that the security personnel had captured one person who hails from California.
“I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray going down. I've heard that many times. It was a pretty loud noise, and it was from quite far away. He (the attacker) hadn't reached the area at all. They really got him,” Trump told reporters, recalling the incident.
Trump said one security officer was shot at but saved as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Several protestors had lined up on the road outside the hotel, raising slogans against the Trump administration and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A CNN reporter who was outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton said he saw a gunman opening fire just a few feet away. He was among the dozens of attendees who took cover as law enforcement swarmed the venue.
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California.
Asked how Saturday’s incident impacts him as the US president, Trump told reporters he is in a dangerous job but that he is no “basket case.”
“I like not to think about it. I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life. I think I handle it as well as it can be handled,” Trump said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
“I will say you had Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives...everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd,” he said.
“We had some great work done by law enforcement, but in light of this evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our differences peacefully,” Trump said.
