FIR AGAINST TWO MUSLIMS FOR OFFERING ‘NAMAZ’ ON MATHURA TEMPLE PREMISES

AGRA: An FIR was registered in Barsana police station of Mathura district against two Muslim members of ‘Khudai Khidmatgar’, a socio-religious organization based in Delhi, for offering ‘namaz’ on the premises of the Nand Baba temple in the holy city. Two others, both Hindus, of the same organisation have been named co-accused in case registered on Sunday evening by Kanha Goswami, a ‘sevayat’ (priest) of the temple. There were two other complainants -Mukesh Goswami and SD Shiv Hari -- both priests of the temple.

According to PTI, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma said those who offered ‘namaz’ on the premises of a temple in Mathura will not be spared. “The way they offered namaz and then made their act viral on social media shows their evil design,” the state power minister told reporters in a virtual conference.

LUCKNOW : A first information report (FIR) was lodged against noted Urdu poet Munawwar Rana at Hazratganj police station here for allegedly promoting enmity after his recent comments over killing of a French school teacher Samuel Paty by a radical Islamist.

Paty was killed outside Paris on October 16 for showing caricatures of Prophet Mohammad made by a publication called Charlie Hebdo in his class on freedom of expression.

The FIR was lodged on Sunday on the complaint of a sub inspector of Lucknow Police. Confirming it, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Hazratganj, Raghvendra Kumar Mishra said,” We have registered an FIR against Munawwar Rana after a complaint was lodged against him for promoting enmity.”

The complaint mentions a recent interview of Munawwar Rana, 67, given to a private news channel over the killing of Samuel Paty and spike in attacks by radical Islamists in France.

“A clip of the interview in which Munawwar Rana seems to be supporting violent acts like murder has gone viral. It has been doing rounds on various social media platforms. The veracity of the video will be checked before taking action against anyone,” said the ACP.

Based on the complaint, the police booked Rana under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion) 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious sentiments) 298 (uttering words deliberately with intent to hurt religious feelings) 505 (statement conducing public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code besides under relevant sections of the IT Act.

When contacted, Rana said: “I cannot even think of supporting an act of murder. I am against what the French teacher did and also against the person who killed the teacher.”

I cannot even think of supporting an act of murder. I am against what the French teacher did and also against the person who killed the teacher. MUNAWWAR RANA,

Urdu poet