In UP’s Barabanki, 4 arrested for vandalising mosque during Vijayadashami procession

Accused allegedly threw slippers, coloured powder at mosque. The incident coincided with Hindu-Muslim clashes in Bahraich, in which a man identified as Ram Gopal Mishra was shot dead.

Video clips, where the men in the procession can be seen throwing footwear and coloured powder at the mosque, have been circulated on social media | A grab from one such clip

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested four persons in the Ichauli town of Barabanki district on the broader charge of insulting the Muslim community by throwing slippers and coloured powder in the courtyard of a mosque.

The alleged offence took place Sunday afternoon as thousands of people participated in a religious procession on the occasion of Vijayadashami, after which the police booked unknown persons under Sections 298 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 302 (acts performed with intent to wound or insult someone’s religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. The arrests were subsequently made over the next two days upon identification.

The incident coincided with violent clashes in the state’s Bahraich district after one Ram Gopal Mishra was allegedly shot dead Sunday by a group of Muslims—six identified and four unknown—in a confrontation between Hindu and Muslim groups as a Hindu procession crossed a Muslim-dominated area.

The alleged murder resulted in mobs torching shops, houses and vehicles in the Mahasi sub-division of Bahraich Monday, before the authorities suspended internet services, which resumed only Thursday.

Additional Superintendent of Police Pavitra Mohan Tripathi told ThePrint that police have arrested Abdul Hameed, Raja alias Sahir Khan, along with Rinku alias Sarfaraz and Faheem, who were injured in an encounter with district police.

 

‘Clear evidence’

Police officers in Barabanki told ThePrint that all the four accused of vandalism were nabbed after their identity and presence on a vehicle playing offensive music outside the mosque were corroborated by videos shot by both the police and other people.

Based on the contents of the video clips, a case was filed Sunday, followed by the arrests of Abhishek Chauhan and Ravi Maurya.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Jatashanker Mishra said that Maurya was working as the “announcer” on the vehicle, which had a mounted music system, while Chauhan was the one who allegedly threw slippers into the mosque courtyard. Both of them were arrested on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

The next day, police arrested Alok Maurya, who was seen throwing coloured powder at the mosque complex, followed by the arrest of Prashant, the alleged “DJ” or the disc jockey of the sound set-up, Tuesday.

“The procession was going around the district as per tradition, but these four were intoxicated and tried to instigate a situation. The thousands of people in the procession could not have even been aware of what they did while crossing the mosque,” a police officer said.