On Monday, Bhojipura police station in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh arrested Mohammad Arif alias Guddu on charges of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus by sharing objectionable posts on social media. The 32-year-old accused who has been arrested is Pradhan of Bhikampur village in Bareilly district.
According to reports, the accused was arrested near Baikunthapur gate area or the district at around 12:20 pm. The accused happened to share a video on Facebook in which an Islamic flag was shown being hoisted on a temple after throwing the original flag from atop the temple.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Raj Kumar Agarwal said that a video was sent to Bhojipura police from the social media cell of Bareilly police. Further Sub-Inspector Modi Singh of Bhojipura police station learned during the investigation that an attempt had been made to vitiate the atmosphere by sharing objectionable posts from the mobile of the accused.
The accused has been arrested under IPC sections 295 (A) (hurting religious sentiments), 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and 67 IT Act. According to the Police, several other cases have been filed against the accused identified as Bhikampur Pradhan Mohammad Arif. In 2021, a case was registered against him for obstructing government work and rioting.
Reportedly, this is not the first such case that has been reported from Bareilly. In July last year, the Bareilly police had arrested Nasir, a resident of Kasawan Mohalla in Faridpur, after a video of him threatening to behead former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma had gone viral over the social media. A case was registered against Nasir under IPC sections 153A, 504, 506 and IT Act 67.