During a preliminary inquiry, police found that Khan, who is a local businessman, had organised a meeting at Jahanganj town. (Representational/File)Azamgarh police on Saturday arrested six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans during a rally which they had taken out on Thursday without obtaining permission from the concerned authorities. Police said the accused were local residents.
The incident came to their notice when a purported video of the rally went viral on social media. Police said the video has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination and its report is awaited.
The arrested persons include Pappu Khan (43), who is planning to contest forthcoming panchayat elections in the state. “The names of BSP workers are falsely being dragged into the
case in an act of revenge. If anyone listens carefully to what they are saying in the video, they would understand that the video was doctored and the pro-Pakistan slogans were added later. I met the Superintendent of Police and requested him to investigate the case properly,” said BSP’s Azamgarh district president Arvind Kumar.
According to police, they received a complaint from a local resident that BSP workers had allegedly raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans during a rally taken out by Khan on November 3. “The complainant also submitted a pen drive containing a video of the rally during which the slogans were allegedly raised,” said police.
During a preliminary inquiry, police found that Khan, who is a local businessman, had organised a meeting at Jahanganj town. “People from nearby areas had participated in the meeting where the forthcoming panchayat elections were discussed. After the meeting, a rally was taken out in the town by Khan and his supporters. The complainant alleged that pro-Pakistan slogans were also raised during the meeting,” police said.
A case was lodged under Indian Penal Code section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) at the Jahanganj police station.
Assistant Superintendent of Police and Circle Officer, Azamgarh, Shakti Mohan Avasthy said six persons have been arrested in the case so far. “Police are still conducting a probe and are looking into the role of other persons,” he added.