The incident took place on Wednesday when Sultan Mohammad's bike allegedly hit a pedestrian in the Shri Ram Chandra Mission area on the Lucknow-Delhi National Highway on the Hardoi bypass road, Circle Officer (City) Saumya Pandey said, adding this led to an argument between the two parties.

State General Secretary of the Rashtriya Gau Rakshak Sangh, Rajesh Awasthi, and a large number of his supporters allegedly tried to give the incident a communal colour and demonstrated by blocking the highway, CO Pandey said.

The protesters also raised slogans against the police, she said.

An FIR was registered on Saturday evening against 17 named, including Awasthi, and 170 unidentified persons by the Ram Chandra Mission police station in-charge Chandra Prakash Shukla, CO Pandey said.

The FIR was lodged under sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 120B (conspiracy), 147 (rioting), 341 (wrongful restraint), 188 (violating prohibitory orders), 353 (obstructing government functionaries), 435 (causing hurt by explosive substance) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to breach the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Police said efforts are underway to nab the accused.