Bareilly (UP), Oct 25 (PTI) A man arrested in connection with the ‘I love Muhammad’ campaign and his wife were booked here for allegedly forging documents to transfer ownership of a Waqf property to their sons, police said on Saturday.
Dr Nafees, a general secretary and spokesperson of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), is considered to be a close aide of its chief, Tauqeer Raza. Both men have been arrested in connection with a clash between protesters and police that erupted after Friday prayers in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly on September 26.
While Nafees is already in jail, police are conducting raids to arrest his wife, Farhat Begum, in connection with the alleged fraudulent transfer of a Waqf property.
The FIR was lodged based on a complaint by Mohammad Qamar Akhtar, a resident of Pirbahoda, who claimed that the property was originally owned by his grandfather, who donated the land to a Waqf.
As per law, Waqf properties can not be sold or transferred to private individuals.
Superintendent of Police (City) Manush Parik said a case has been registered against Nafees and Farhat at Kotwali police station.
SHO Amit Kumar Pandey said, “The case involves a forged gift deed of Waqf property. Dr Nafees is in jail and we are searching for his wife.” Days after violence erupted after a dispute over ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters in Bareilly, a banquet hall owned by Nafees was demolished by authorities who said it was constructed in violation of norms.
On September 26, clashes broke out between police and a large crowd that had gathered outside a mosque after Friday prayers, allegedly after a call given by IMC chief Tauqeer Raza Khan after police denied permission for a demonstration.
The protesters allegedly pelted stones, and police resorted to a lathicharge to control the situation, according to officials.
More than 90 people, including several members of the IMC, have been arrested in the case, many of them for allegedly conspiring to incite the riots “under the guise of protests”. PTI COR CDN SKY SKY
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