4 Arrested For Offering Friday Namaz At Private Property In UP, Case Filed For 'Disturbing Public Order'

The incident unfolded in in the Jam Samant village after a Hindu organisation shared a video of the Friday prayers on social media following which the police conducted an enquiry.

The incident unfolded in in the Jam Samant village in Bareilly.

Source : X

Four people have been arrested in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh for offering namaz at a private property without obtaining permission from the authorities. 

The arrests have been made against the four persons for disturbing public order and allegedly converting the site into a makeshift mosque by covering it, a report in The Indian Express said.

The incident unfolded in in the Jam Samant village after a Hindu organisation shared a video of the Friday prayers on social media following which the police conducted an enquiry and registered an FIR against seven people 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).

While four people have been arrested, three others, including the village pradhan Mohammad Arif are absconding. The police are conducting raids to apprehend the three 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,” Sanjay Tomar, station house officer of the Baheri police station, said.

Himanshu Patel, district president of the Hindu Jagran Manch’s youth wing, said that one of his associates recorded the footage and sent it to him after which he uploaded the video. 

The video purportedly showed a group of people offering namaz and using the location as a makeshift mosque.

"There is neither a mosque nor a temple in the village. Residents have to travel to a nearby village to offer prayers. I uploaded the video on social media and informed both the police and the district administration about the matter," Patel said.

The report said that the location where the accused were allegedly offering namaz collectively and using it as a makeshift mosque is owned by the village pradhan’s family. 

The Police said that they had locked the premises following the complaint. The Jam Samant village is predominantly Muslim-populated. Meanwhile, additional police forces have been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents.