The controversy that sparked with a viral video of a group of men offering Namaz at the newly open Lulu Mall in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow is turning out to be a staged, as the visuals suggest the men had no clue how to perform the Muslim prayer.
After the video went viral on social media on Wednesday, several speculated that it could be a conspiracy. CCTV footages, shared by the mall management, now reveals that the group of men were in the mall just to offer prayer and film it.
Hindu outfits had taken offence at the video and started a boycott campaign against the Asia’s largest mall. Lulu Group International is a multinational conglomerate company founded by M A Yusuff Ali, a Muslim businessman from Kerala.
According to National Herald, footage shows eight men entering the mall and went straight to offer prayer. They first tried the basement, followed by the ground floor and the first floor but security guards stopped them.
In the second floor, six of the men immediately sat down to offer Namaz while the remaining two appear to have got busy recording videos and taking photographs.
These men completed the prayer in 18 seconds flat.
After offering the hurried Namaz and recording the video, they exited the mall in a hurry and made no attempt to linger around.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Rajesh Kumar Shrivastava saw the footage made it clear that the men had no clue about how Namaz is offered.
Hindu groups say if Muslims were allowed to pray, they too shall observe Hindu rituals in the mall. They had also alleged that 80% of the men employed at the mall were Muslims but the women were all Hindus. This was, they alleged part of Love Jihad.
A group of Hindu extremist group recently arrived at the mall demanding that they be allowed to read out Ramayana. Following the viral video, an FIR was lodged by the mall management and a police investigation was initiated.
