The police action came after an outrage on social media over the controversial photo
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – A supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been arrested in Bareily city of Uttar Pradesh for posting an offensive photo of the Kaaba in Makkah, a holy site for the Muslims worldwide, on his Facebook page.
The Facebook profile picture of Yogesh Prakash, arrested on Wednesday, has lotus symbol suggesting his links with the BJP. He operates the FB account under the name Yogendra Gangwar.
In a statement, the Nawabganj police station said they were informed that a Facebook user shared a photo to hurt the religious sentiment of the Muslim community. The photo portrays an image of pig (unclean and impure animal in Islam) on the Islam’s holiest place.
“The police took the matter seriously and learnt that the photo was posted by Yogendra Prakash. He is a resident of Baraur village in Nawabganj, Breily. On the direction of senior officers, an FIR was lodged under the BNS Section 299,” reads the statement.
The accused was arrested and further investigation is on.
The police action came after an outrage on social media over the controversial photo posted by the accused.
On X, people have tagged the Bareilly Police saying that the controversial photo could incite riots.
“A goon named Yogendra Gangwar of Baraur in the Nawabganj police station area of Bareilly is continuously posting on social media by tampering with the picture of the Holy Kaaba with the intention of inciting riots, his intention is clearly visible that he is trying to incite but @bareillypolice @adgzonebareilly @igrangebareilly has not taken any action against this goon yet!,” said journalist Zakir Ali Tiyagi.
A social media user Ritu Gurgar said that such posts are put out to disturb the peace. Therefore, she urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to take strict action against such people.
