Bareilly: Ittehad-e-Millat Council leader ‘threatens’ cop over removal of Prophet posters, booked

According to police, they came across the video on Monday in which a person purportedly made an objectionable statement against a senior police officer while addressing the public over the removal of a banner reading ‘I Love Mohammad’.

The FIR against 70-year-old Nafees Khan has been filed under BNS sections 224 (threat of injury to public servant), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), said a police officer.

Station House Officer of Quila police station in Bareilly, Jitendra Singh, said a preliminary inquiry revealed that the objectionable statement was made while the leader was addressing the public about the banner two days ago. No arrest has been made in the case so far.

When contacted, Khan, the national general secretary and spokesperson of IMC, said the issue pertained to the removal of the banner by police three days ago.

The next day, a group of people gathered at the spot to object to its removal. “When I asked them to put up the banner again, they said the police would remove it once more,” he claimed.

“I spoke to the police officer on the matter. After the conversation, I told people that the officer had allowed the poster to be put up again and said no one should remove it… I was merely repeating what the officer had told me. However, miscreants edited my statement, cutting out the part that clarified it was the officer’s words, and then released the video,” claimed Khan.

Police, however, said the board was hanging low and causing inconvenience to passersby, so people were asked to shift it higher to allow smooth movement. No board was removed, they said.

On September 10, an FIR was lodged by Kanpur Police over a board displaying the message, “I love Mohammad”, which was put up as part of decorations for the annual Barawafat procession to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammad.
“‘ I love Mohammad’ lightboard was installed at the decorative gate… a departure from precedent… a new ritual was being deliberately introduced,” the FIR had said.

Protests against the Kanpur FIR were witnessed over the weekend at several districts, including Kaushambi, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Bhadohi, Lucknow, Unnao, and Kanpur. Several people were booked and arrested.

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