Kolkata, March 4 The total number of arrests in connection with the incendiary "goli maaro" slogan raised by a group of people going to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally here has risen to six with two more taken into custody from the city and an adjoining district, police said on Wednesday.
"BJP worker Sandeep Sonkar was nabbed from Chetla in South Kolkata on Tuesday evening. Another person was arrested on Tuesday night from Ghola in North 24 Parganas district," a police official said.
Both of them were seen shouting the provocative slogan calling for shooting the traitors while going in a procession towards the rally venue in central Kolkata on Sunday.
"They were arrested after examining the video footage of the incident," the official said.
While three people were arrested from the city's New Market police station area on Monday morning, later another person was rounded up from Ghola in 24 Parganas (North) district in the night.
Cases under Sections 153 (Promoting enmity between different groups), 34 (common intent), 505 (public mischief) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code have been slapped against the accused.
The three arrested from the city are Surendra Kumar Tiwary, Pankaj Prashad and Dhruba Basu. BJP leader Sujit Barua was nabbed during a joint operation by personnel of New Market and Ghola police stations.
However, Basu was bailed out considering his advanced age.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma in a statement on Monday said the arrests were made following a complaint lodged at the New Market police station that "some persons allegedly shouted provocative slogans having potential to disturb public tranquility from a procession while going to attend a political rally".
The city police chief has instructed officers-in-charge of all police stations to initiate strong legal action against anybody trying to incite people.
The slogan was first chanted at a public rally addressed by Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on January 27 in Delhi's Rithala area. Thakur had allegedly egged on his audience to respond to the slogan.
Thakur was then barred from campaigning by the Election Commission for 72 hours in the run-up to the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls
( With inputs from IANS )