School girl found with a cleric sparks communal tension in Meerut

Representational Picture (AFP)

Lucknow: A school girl was allegedly found in the room of a Muslim cleric in a Meerut mosque following which communal tension gripped the locality. Police said the girl wearing a school uniform was spotted in the room of a Muslim cleric in Swami Paada, Budhana Gate, by some locals, said a report in newsgency IANS. The locals reportedly raised an alarm and in a short span a large mob gathered around and started shouting communal slogans. Police had to intervene to pacify the irate mob. It took the cleric into custody who tried to escape from the rear of the mosque.He was sent to Kotwali police station. The mob had to be dispersed by the police as it got into a heated arguments with the cops. COMMUNALLY SENSITIVE MEERUT Meerut is a sensitive district and even small incidents here can incite communal sentiments.

• On April 20th, hoardings were put in the city asking “stone-pelting Kashmiris” to leave Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of students from the militancy-hit state study in various colleges in the city.
• Giant hoardings asking “stone-pelting Kashmiris” to leave Uttar Pradesh have sprung up across Meerut in the communally sensitive belt, raising concerns over security of hundreds of students from the militancy-hit state.In a brazen act of moral policing in April, a young couple in Meerut was assaulted by Hindu Yuva Vahini workers on suspicion of 'love jihad'.
• Earlier in the month, police broke up a prayer at a church near Gorakhpur after a vigilante group founded by chief minister Yogi Adityanath complained that Hindus were being converted there.

Meerut: Retd. Colonel's residence raided, 1 cr cash, animal skin-organs, around 40 rifles & pistols recovered On Sunday, one crore cash, animal skin, animal organs and around 40 rifles and pistols were recovered when the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted raids at a Colonel (retd.) residence in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. The team of the DRI conducted the raid at the house of Devendra Singh. READ MORE