The Uttar Pradesh Police detained four men, allegedly linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and an associate outfit, from Mathura on Monday night.
The four men, suspected to be linked to PFI, were held while they were on their way to Hathras from Delhi, police said.
Police added that acting on a tip-off that some suspicious persons were on their way to Hathras from Delhi, cops intercepted a Swift Dzire car on the toll plaza on Tuesday night. The four occupants were interrogated taken into custody at Mathura’s Math toll plaza. Live Updates on Hathras case
The four were identified as Atiq-ur Rehman of Muzaffarnagar, Siddique of Malappuram, Masood Ahmed of Bahraich and Alam of Rampur, the police said.
Mobile phones, laptop and some literature, which could have an impact on peace and order, were seized by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Police said during interrogation, it came to light that the four had links with the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associate organisation Campus Front of India (CFI).
Further interrogation is underway, police added.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had earlier sought a ban on the organisation. The Yogi Adityanath-led government had blamed the PFI for protests in the state against the citizen law.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has referred to “recent incidents” and said “anarchist elements” are trying to trigger communal and caste violence in the state.
The detention of four persons, meanwhile, came amid outrage over the death of a 19-year-old woman who was allegedly raped on September 14 in a village in Hathras.
Her hurried cremation in the dead of the night, allegedly without the parents’ consent, created further outrage.
ALSO READ | Hathras case: ED may probe use of illegal funds to trigger caste-based protests
ALSO READ | From delayed FIR to hurried cremation: A timeline of the Hathras case
ALSO WATCH | After Hathras horror, caste politics rages on | A report from ground zero