Uttar Pradesh: 11 arrested after Muslims offer Eid namaz on government land in Kushinagar
Authorities were said to have prohibited any activity on the land where the prayer was held, as it was the subject of a dispute.
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The Uttar Pradesh Police last week arrested 11 persons, including a village head, in the Kushinagar district after a video showed a group of persons offering namaz on government land on Eid, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
The prayers were held in the Turakha village on June 17. After a video of the prayers was shared on social media, the police on June 20 arrested nine Muslims and two Hindus. Among the Hindus who were arrested was Kedar Yadav, the village head.
The village head’s son Shiv Kumar said that authorities had prohibited any activity on the land where the prayer was held, as it was the subject of a dispute. While a group of Muslims wanted to build an Eidgah – or a designated space for namaz – on the land, a group of Hindus reportedly wanted a marriage hall to be built instead.
“Without our knowledge, a group of people held a prayer on Eid [June 17],” Shiv Kumar said, according to The Indian Express. “We found out about it when the video of the prayer went viral the next day. The police arrested my father for not stopping them from offering the prayer.”
Those arrested have been booked under the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between groups under Section...
