Police arrests student for offering namaz in open area of university in Meerut

Meerut: Police have arrested a student for allegedly offering namaz in an open area of a private university here in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, officials said on Sunday.

Khalid Pradhan (Khalid Mewati) was arrested following protests by local Hindu groups over a purported video surfaced around Holi celebrations this week that showed a group of students offering namaz on the university campus.

The university administration suspended Pradhan and three security personnel over the incident and called for police and administrative action against Khalid Pradhan, who allegedly uploaded the video.

Circle Officer Sadar Dehat Shiv Pratap Singh on Sunday told PTI, "A video of offering namaz in the IIMT University campus was circulated on social media." Pradhan was arrested and sent to jail, he said.

On Saturday, SHO of Ganga Nagar police station Anoop Singh said the case was lodged based on a complaint by one Kartik Hindu.

A case has been filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, he said.

Earlier, IIMT University spokesperson Sunil Sharma said an internal investigation found that namaz was offered in an open area and its video was uploaded to "disrupt communal harmony".

Local Hindu groups demanded the arrest of those involved, citing the large number of students in the gathering and the timing of the video's circulation during Holi.

Holi celebrations this year coincided with the second Friday prayers of the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. Several controversial remarks by leaders had created a tense atmosphere in some places, with the UP administration tightening security measures, but the day went free of any untoward incident.