Lucknow: Days after he shared a post on Facebook of a purported US-based charity organisation seeking donations to ‘help the Palestinians’, an Uttar Pradesh Police constable has been suspended and a departmental inquiry initiated against him.
Identified as Suhail Ansari, the constable hails from Bareilly and was posted at the Lakhimpur Kheri police lines. He was also part of the drone surveillance team of the district police.
“A preliminary probe found that the constable had shared a post on his Facebook account about seeking funds for the Palestinian cause which said that ‘one repost was equal to one US dollar’. He was suspended Saturday and a departmental probe has been initiated against him which will be conducted by circle officer (Sadar) Sandeep Singh,” Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) Ganesh Saha told ThePrint.
According to the police, the Facebook post first went viral on WhatsApp groups in Bareilly last week, after which the city police were informed.
The city police then informed the UP Police headquarters that the constable who had put up the post was posted in Lakhimpur Kheri, following which an inquiry was started by the SP.
The preliminary probe which led to the suspension of the constable was conducted by Naipal Singh, Additional SP of Lakhimpur Kheri.
Speaking to ThePrint, Singh confirmed that the suspension order was issued after the post went viral on WhatsApp groups.
The constable, on his part, told his seniors that his phone was being handled by his minor son who accidently put the post on his Facebook account.
“He has said that his son was handling his phone and he accidentally posted it, but this is what most people say when they are facing an inquiry,” a senior police officer privy to the probe told ThePrint.
This is the first incident where action has been taken against a UP government official for issuing a social media post in connection with the Israel-Hamas conflict.
It was reported last Thursday that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the state police to take strict action against “any activity contrary to the views” of the Centre on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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Students, clerics & doctor under lens
Last Monday, two days after the Hamas attack on Israel, four students of Aligarh Muslim University were booked for taking out a march on the varsity premises in support of the Palestinian cause.
A cleric from Hamirpur, also named Suhail Ansari, was reportedly arrested Saturday for allegedly sharing posts on social media stating that he “supported the Palestinian cause”, and asking people to gather at a mosque.
Ansari has been booked along with another cleric, Atif Chowdhary, under Indian Penal Code Sections 153-a (promoting enmity between groups) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will) in the same case by the Hamirpur police.
On Friday, an FIR was lodged against Parmendra Maheshwari, a Bareilly-based doctor, for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Muslims on WhatsApp in connection with the Israel-Palestine conflict, under Sections 153-a and 295-a (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings).
According to the Bareilly police, raids are on to nab Chowdhary while Maheshwari has not been arrested so far.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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