Lucknow police have booked Muslim woman activist Uzma Praveen for offering prayers and posting its picture on social media.
The matter came to light on Wednesday after Parveen and human rights activist posted a picture offering prayers on her Twitter handle.
“A case under charges of IPC 153 A (promoting enmity), IPC 200 (giving false information), and IPC 283 (obstruction of public way) 66 IT act has been registered against Uzma,” said the DCP Central Zone, Aparna Rajat Kaushik.
The DCP also said Uzma had falsely shown the place of offering prayers to be Vidhan Bhawan which is misleading. “Just to create hype on social media.”
Hours the police action, Praveen tweeted that a mountain is being made out a molehill and alleged that cops were following the media personnel in doing so. She further wrote on Twitter that she was following her religion.
“Hello, what investigation are you referring to? I believe that the media has blown this issue out of proportion, especially channels like Zee News. As for my religious practices, I have the right to follow my beliefs and practice Namaz or wear a hijab wherever I choose. No power in the world can stop me from doing so,” the Muslim woman activist tweeted in Hindi.
Muslims in Uttar Pradesh have faced repeated incidents of discrimination by the police for offering prayers, even in private spaces. In the current month of Ramadan alone, two such incidents have taken place in Moradabad and Noida, where Muslims were prevented from praying even in their own places.
