Lucknow: Police in UP’s Hamirpur arrested a cleric named Atif Chaudhary on Friday and are searching for a fugitive, identified as Suhail Ansari, in connection with allegedly sharing “provocative” social media posts related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The duo had issued invitations for a congregation and joint prayers in support of Palestine and the safety of Baitul Muqaddas (Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem) at a local mosque in Hamirpur. They have also been accused of making objectionable comments concerning the conflict on social media.
Hamirpur SP Deeksha Sharma said on Sturday that Chaudhary and Ansari posted the messages on October 8. “On October 12, they wrote another provocative message on their WhatsApp status and also made some objectionable comments,” she said. “The cleric had supported terrorism by writing ‘I stand with Palestine’ in his DP.”
Both have been charged with “creating enmity between religious groups” and “misusing a place of worship to create a nuisance”. To ensure peace in the town, security measures have been intensified.
