4 held for offering namaz in private property without taking permission: Bareilly police

The police action came after a Hindu organisation, Hindu Jagran Manch, shared a video of the location on social media.

“An FIR was registered against seven persons, including the village pradhan and other residents, at the Baheri police station. We have arrested four people, including the village pradhan’s brother Mohammad Shahid. The case was initially filed under section 223 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Later, we invoked charges of breach of peace against them,” said SHO (Baheri) Sanjay Tomar.

“The spot where namaz was offered is owned by the village pradhan’s family. Following police action, they have locked the premises,” the SHO added.

Himanshu Patel, the Bareilly district president of Hindu Jagran Manch’s youth wing who uploaded the video on social media, said one of his associates recently recorded the area. The video purportedly showed a group of people offering namaz. “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 Jam Samant village’s population is predominantly from the Muslim community.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Ali, who conducted the police enquiry, said that after reviewing the video, he visited Jam Sawant village and found that a group of people from the Muslim community had gathered inside a walled area covered with a tin shed, where they offered namaz without prior permission. “This is not a mosque,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, police forces have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.