Thursday, March 28, 2024

‘Namaz at home’: UP Police drop FIR against 26 Muslims, say video ‘fudged’

The Moradabad Police said that the “video” provided by the main complainant Chandra Pal Singh is “fudged.” Singh is a member of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu militant outfit.

Nearly a week after 26 Muslims were booked for Namaz at the houses of Two Muslim men in Moradabad, UP Police withdrew the FIR on Tuesday after they found the complaint to be “incorrect.”

The Moradabad Police said that the “video” provided by the main complainant Chandra Pal Singh is “fudged.” Singh is a member of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu militant outfit.

A “thorough probe” was conducted in the matter and it was found that the Namaz was not offered on the said date, said the cop.

“The complaint lodged by Chandra Pal Singh about a mass gathering for namaz was found to be inaccurate and we are now quashing the FIR. The video provided by the villagers was probably filmed earlier, and they didn’t have any other evidence to prove that namaz was offered in a mass gathering on August 24,” said Moradabad SP Hemant Kutiyal.

Earlier, a case under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for public mischief has been slapped on 26 persons, of whom 16 are named while the remaining 10 remain unknown. No arrests were made so far.

The earlier of UP Police was widely condemned by Muslim politicians across India.

Taking to Twitter, former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah said, “I’m sure if one of the neighbours had a hawan with 26 friends and relatives that would be perfectly acceptable. It’s not the “mass gathering” that is the problem, it’s the offering of namaz.”

Owaisi also slammed the incident, saying it looks like there is a process to trample Muslims from all corners. Calling it “injustice”, the AIMIM chief asked “what is the issue if one offers namaz at his home?”

“Offering namaz on the road is a problem, and now doing so inside one’s own home has also become objectionable? Does one go and tell people of other religions not to worship their deities? … The Supreme Court has said that namaz can be offered anywhere,” Owaisi said during a press conference that he held earlier in the day.

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