India: Muslim student arrested for offering Namaz in university’s open area

Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut have arrested a Muslim student for offering prayers in an open space inside a private university.

Khalid Pradhan (Khalid Mewati) was arrested after a video of a group of students offering prayers during Holi celebrations on the university campus this week surfaced following protests by a local Hindu group, the report said.

The administration of the private university suspended Khalid Pradhan and three security personnel over the matter and administrative action was taken against Khalid Pradhan for uploading the video.

Circle Officer President Dehat Shiv Pratap Singh said that Khalid Pradhan was arrested and sent to jail after a video of him offering prayers on the campus of IIMT University was circulating on social media.

Anup Singh, SHO of Ganganagar police station, said a complaint was filed by a citizen, Kartik Hindu.

He said the case has been registered under Section 299 of the Bhartiya Naya Sanhita (BNS) Section 299 and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, 2008 with regard to deliberate and malicious acts to insult the religion of a group or target religious beliefs.

 

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Earlier, IIMT University spokesperson Sunil Sharma said that an internal investigation revealed that prayers were offered in an open space and the video was uploaded to disturb communal harmony.