Bahraich, Nov 2 (IANS) The police have arrested five persons for allegedly thrashing four youths and shouting pro-Pakistan slogans in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district.

Police said the incident took place on October 28 when the accused, identified as Nasiruddin, Kamruddin, Shami, Sheikhu and Hamid, along with 30 other unidentified men, thrashed Aman Soni, 25, and three of his friends and allegedly shouted pro-Pakistan slogans.

Police said the cause of the dispute was yet to be ascertained.

In the FIR, Aman claimed that the mob attacked him and his friends without any provocation.

“I was at Chilwariya crossing with my friends Rakesh Rajput, Suhail, and Vishal Chauhan, when a group, led by Nasiruddin, reached there and started intimidating us. We did not react and told them that we would inform the police if they did not stop. The group got enraged at this and thrashed us. They also shouted slogans in support of Pakistan,” Aman claimed in the FIR.

“We somehow managed to escape. We were badly injured and were admitted to the trauma centre of the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow,” he added.

Station house officer, Kotwali Dehat, Manoj Pandey said that on the basis of the complaint and statements of the eyewitnesses, five persons were arrested.

“We have booked them under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 323 (causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code,” Pandey said.

“CCTVs are being scanned to know the sequence of events and the accused will be interrogated to find out the reason behind the attack," he said.