Police in Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh, have made additional arrests related to an Iftar party near a temple, focusing on allegations of improper food disposal and violations of forest regulations.
Key Points
- Six more individuals have been arrested in Shravasti, UP, related to an iftar party near the Sonpathri Ashram Temple.
- The arrests are connected to allegations of cooking non-vegetarian food and improper disposal of leftovers near the temple.
- The accused are also charged with violating the Indian Forest Act for allegedly starting a fire in the forest.
- The incident has sparked concerns about religious sentiments and environmental regulations in the area.
Police have arrested six more people in connection with allegedly cooking non-vegetarian food and disposing of the leftovers during an iftar party near the Sonpathri Ashram Temple in Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh, taking the total arrests to 10, officials said.
Four people were arrested in the case on Friday.
Details of the case
According to police, on March 17, in the Sirsia area, certain people of the Muslim community cooked non-vegetarian food for an iftar party near the temple, situated in the forest.
After the party, the non-vegetarian food leftovers were discarded into the water source (a canal) flowing near the temple, they said.
"Devotees visiting the temple use the water from this source for drinking, cooking, and washing the temple premises and the idols of the deities. Through this act, the individuals from the Muslim community have hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees visiting the Ashram," police said in a statement.
Based on a written complaint filed by the Ashram's priest, Hari Sharnanand Ji Maharaj, a case was registered at the Sirsia police station on March 19 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 196(2) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), it said.
The statement further said that on March 19, an official from the forest department submitted a written report to the police stating that the accused had illegally lit a fire within the forest, creating a risk of forest fire and causing harm to the wildlife inhabiting the area.
Subsequently, another case was registered against all of them under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
The six people arrested on Tuesday have been identified as Jamal Ahmed, Irfan Ahmed, and Sufiyan -- from Shravasti district, and Shakir, Sheru Ahmed, and Shamsad Ali -- residents of Bahraich district.
