With bhoomi pujan for construction of a Ram temple completed on Wednesday, some miscreants are on the prowl, disturbing communal harmony by posting objectionable messages and celebrating to instigate angry reaction. In this regard, the police arrested half-a-dozen persons from across different communities.
In Lucknow, Popular Front of India (PFI) media in-charge Abdul Majid was arrested for trying to spread communal disturbance by putting up provocative posts on bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya on Friday. The arrest was made from Islamnagar area of Kakori.
A native of Delhi, Majid was accused of putting up provocative messages on social media over bhoomi pujan and one on Kashmir. He was working under a dummy outfit, All India Imam Council, and claimed himself to be its UP head. He was also running a campaign with the hashtag Return Babri land to Muslim and Restore Article 370.
The police also arrested a doctor and his two aides for inciting sentiments from Jarwal area of Bahraich on Thursday. Identified as Dr Aleem Ahmed, Sahibe Alam and Kamruddin, the trio was found uploading objectionable content on WhatsApp from a clinic at Jarwal Road in Bahraich when the police dropped the net on them. Their mobile phones were also seized.
On December 31, the UP Police had sought a ban on PFI, days after its complicity was found in the state-wide violent protests against amended citizenship law. The then DGP, OP Singh, had said that they had written to the Centre seeking a ban on the PFI after its UP head, Wasim and 16 other activists were arrested for masterminding the anti-CAA violence in Lucknow.
Meanwhile in Meerut, Bajrang Dal activists tried to disturb communal peace by uploading objectionable video of a saffron flag flying atop a mosque in Rajban area of Sadar Bazaar. They also gathered and chanted `Jai Shree Ram’ in front of a mosque after which some Muslims objected. Later, the police swung into action and registered a case against Ankit Tripathi, Arun Thakur, Abhi Patel and Gautam and nabbed Ankit and Arun.
Interestingly, soon after their arrests, a senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader of Meerut denied that these accused were members of Bajrang Dal.
Elsewhere in Auraiya, a case was registered against BJP district vice-president, Rajneesh Pandey at Ajeetmal police station after he fired in the air with his licensed gun to celebrate bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya.
In Lakhimpur Kheri, several members of Hindu outfits staged a demonstration and blocked Lucknow-Delhi highway for several hours on Friday, demanding the arrest of some Muslim youths for posting objectionable messages on bhoomi pujan ceremony.
The tension was defused after local BJP MLA, Lokendra Pratap Singh asked the protesters to allow time for the police to take action in the matter. A case was registered against Mohammed Faiyaz Mansoori, Mohammed Arif, Mohammed Shadab and others for trying to hurt sentiments of Hindus through objectionable social media content.
