11 Arrested in UP for Offering Namaaz on Govt Land

11 Arrested in UP Village for Offering Namaaz on Government Land

Eleven men were arrested in Turkaha village, Kushinagar district, Uttar Pradesh, after a video showed them offering namaaz on government land. This incident happened on Eid, despite clear instructions from the district administration and police to avoid any activities on the property.

Among those arrested were nine Muslim men and two Hindus, including the village head (pradhan), 46-year-old Kedar Yadav.

The Superintendent of Police, Dhawal Jaiswal, confirmed the arrests and mentioned that some police officers, including the station house officer Neeraj Rai, sub-inspector Om Prakash Yadav, and constable Mohan Singh, were removed from their posts due to negligence.

Kedar Yadav’s son, Shiv Kumar, explained that there was an ongoing dispute over the land. He said the district administration had prohibited any activities there, and the family was unaware of the prayers until the video went viral. Kedar Yadav, a first-time pradhan, was arrested for not preventing the prayer.

The village, mostly inhabited by Muslims, has been tense recently as two groups vied for control over the land. One group wanted to build an Eidgah (a place for Eid prayers), while the other, consisting of Hindu villagers, wanted to construct a marriage hall. Both proposals were rejected by the district administration, according to SP Dhawal.

To prevent any conflict, a senior revenue department official had instructed the local police to ensure no one tried to occupy the land. In April, the police organized a meeting with both communities, resulting in a written agreement to avoid any activities on the land.

When the video surfaced, the police conducted an initial investigation and filed a report against 11 people. They were charged under Section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups based on religion and other factors, said Jitendra Tandon, the current Station House Officer of Khadda police station.

Source.

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