Police arrested four men Tuesday after they chanted Hanuman Chalisa' at an Idgah, a day after namaz offered on the premises of a temple here triggered a row. One of them claims to be a local leader of BJP's youth wing.
The four men, aged between 18 and 25, entered the Idgah on the Goverdhan-Barsana road and recited the Hindu prayer, police said. Police in Goverdhan town, about 20 km from Mathura, arrested them for disturbing peace in the area and registered an FIR under section 151 of the CrPC. The provision allows them to make an arrest to prevent a crime from being committed.
Saurabh Nambardar, Raghav Mittal, Rauki and Kanha were produced in the court of Goverdhan sub divisional magistrate Rahul Yadav, who ordered their release on a surety of Rs 2 lakh each. Meanwhile, another court remanded Faisal Khan, arrested Monday after he offered namaz at a Mathura temple, to 14 days in judicial custody. Khan tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted in hospital.
More charges were slapped Tuesday against Khan and the three others booked over the namaz. But Khan's organization, Delhi-based Khudai Khidmatgar, has claimed that he offered prayers in the temple complex only with the permission of the priests there. Saurabh Nambardar, arrested after the Idgah incident, described himself on his Facebook page as a local office-bearer of BJYM, the BJP's youth wing. He also called himself a leader with two little-known outfits — Modi Sangh and Azad Sena.
A lawyer for the Idgah said police acted quickly when they were informed about the incident. In a video clip on social media, one of the arrested men is heard saying that if namaz can be offered for communal harmony in a temple, reciting Hanuman Chalisa should be allowed in a mosque.
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