UP: Siddharthnagar Tense After Right-Wing Men Hoist Saffron Flag on Mosque's Gate, 5 Arrested

Lucknow: Communal tension was palpable in Menhdawal town of Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar district after a mob, reportedly participants of a 'Shobha Yatra' and having allegiance to Right-wing groups, tried to barge into a mosque and hoist a saffron flag on Monday 

The incident occurred on January 22, marking the Ram Temple's opening in Ayodhya. The police arrested five persons for alleged ‘breach of peace’ and ‘creating nuisance’ outside a place of worship during a religious procession. The police took action on the basis of a purported video of the incident that was doing rounds on social media.

The accused were identified as Ganesh Prajapati, Ashok Kumar, Anil, Ramesh and Siddhant Jaiswal, said Vijay Kumar Dubey, SHO (Menhdawal), told reporters. 

"A video was making rounds on social media platforms where a group of participants of the procession reportedly raised religious slogans outside a mosque. One of the participants also tried to climb the mosque’s iron gate. Police quickly located and apprehended the individuals in question," Dubey said, adding that all five arrested persons were produced before a local court on Tuesday, which sent them to judicial custody,

According to police, on January 22, a group of people took out a Shobha Yatra in Menhdawal town to celebrate the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The procession ended peacefully.

Meanwhile, the mosque management told NewsClick that a mob having allegiance with Right-wing outfits had stopped in front of the mosque and chanted slogans like "Bharat ka bachcha bachcha, Jai Shri Ram bolega” (Every child in India will be compelled to say Hail Lord Ram) and some of them tried to climb the mosque's main gate. 

"On January 22, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, we remained inside our houses. A group of people took out a procession, and when they reached Pachhim Tola, a Muslim-majority area, they stopped outside a mosque which is situated on the main road and started dancing and chanting provocative slogans. They even tried to enter the mosque, but since the gate was locked, the mob could not enter. However, a few of them climbed on the mosque's main gate and hoisted saffron flags. All the Muslims of the locality gathered on the spot. The police arrived on time otherwise the matter could have worsened," a local resident told NewsClick on the condition of anonymity. 

When questioned whether the mosque committee had registered any complaint, he said, "People are scared, and they do not want to escalate the matter as it will create communal tension in the area." 

NOT THE FIRST CASE

On January 22, several such incidents were reported from across the state where mobs hoisted saffron flags on mosques and shouted provocative slogans. 

As many as 11 people were arrested for allegedly waving saffron flags at a mosque in Billochpura under the Tajganj police station of Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

The arrests were carried out on Tuesday after a complaint was filed at the Tajganj police station on Monday by Zahiruddin, the Mutawalli (caretaker of the mosque), according to Tajganj police chief Jasveer Singh.

Local residents said that a procession was being taken out on Monday in the area to celebrate the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya.

In a similar incident in Shahjahanpur district, three men were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly removing a flag from a mosque and replacing it with a saffron one. 

The incident took place in the Lalbagh area under the Ramchandra Mission police station. The three accused, all 20 years old, are Rohit Joshi, Ankit Katheria and Rohit Saxena. According to the authorities, their colleague Pankaj Saxena is evading arrest.

The FIR was registered on Monday evening, and the arrest was done on Tuesday, police confirmed.