Four Muslims were arrested for disturbing public order by allegedly gathering at a private property in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district and offering Friday congregational prayer, local police said in a statement on Sunday. Three others, including the village pradhan Mohammad Arif, also named in the case, are absconding.
Drone footage of prayer being offered was shared by Himanshu Patel, Bareilly district president of the Hindu Jagran Manch’s youth wing, triggering the police action.
The village chief’s family reportedly owns the plot.
The persons are accused of converting the plot of land in the Jam Samant village in the Bareilly district into a makeshift mosque by building a tin structure that covered the site.
Following an inquiry, the police confirmed the allegations and registered an FIR against seven people, including Arif and other residents, at the Baheri police station. The case has been filed under Section 223 ( disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A case notes orders prohibiting public gatherings were in place in Bareilly ahead of Republic Day, PTI reported. The police are conducting raids to apprehend the absconding people.
“We have arrested four people, including the village pradhan’s brother Mohammad Shahid, and have invoked charges of breach of peace against them,” said Sanjay Tomar, station house officer of the Baheri police station.
