Social media user Ashraf Ali of Dariyabad was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday for threatening the SDM Divyanshu Patel over demolition of the 100-year-old illegal mosque earlier this month. As per reports, in his social media post, he referred to the demolition of the structure and accused him of being biased. He also threatened that the SDM will bear consequences of his actions.
On May 17, following the SDM’s instructions the illegal structure was demolished. Officials confirmed that an illegal residential structure situated inside the ‘tehsil’ premises in Ram Sanehi Ghat area in the district, which the outraging Muslim organisations and opposition is claiming to be a ‘mosque’, was demolished on the orders of a sub-divisional magistrate’s (SDM) court in Ram Sanehi Ghat. As per officials, a notice was served on the people, who had been residing there, asking them to produce documents in support of their claim but they fled after serving of the notice.
As per officials, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had disposed of a petition filed in this connection on April 2, which proved that the construction was illegal. A case was filed in the court of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Ram Sanehi Ghat, and its orders were complied with on May 17. Joint magistrate Divyanshu Patel also termed the construction as illegal and the building was brought down on court orders, he said.
A case of disturbing communal peace and harmony has been registered against Ashraf Ali. He was produced before the court and sent to jail. On Friday, five people were detained under suspicion of creating communal unrest. Mohammad Matin Khan, Mohammad Saad, Suleiman, Farooq Ahmed Khan and Mohammad Kamil were arrested and produced before the court. Following that, they were also sent to the jail.