Man arrested for playing provocative speeches after Friday prayers

Kanpur (UP), Sep 28 (PTI) A 46-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly attempting to disturb communal harmony by playing provocative audio clips to worshippers shortly after Friday prayers, police said on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajeet Gupta told reporters that an FIR was registered by Railbazar police against Zubair Ahmed Khan alias Zubair Ghazi (46), a resident of Chandari, Sujatganj, and "20- 25 unidentified individuals".

The complaint was lodged by Sujatganj Police Post in-charge Raj Mohan Mishra, who alleged that Zubair was playing inflammatory clips near Madar Hotel crossing to provoke people against the government and the administration.

The incident occurred soon after Friday prayers concluded at Ajmeri Masjid. A crowd gathered at the spot and tempers flared up as the audio clips were being played.

DCP Gupta said that police teams rushed to the location, made loudspeaker announcements appealing to the gathering to remain calm and quickly dispersed the crowd before the situation could spiral out of control. "The situation could have turned volatile had timely action not been taken," he added.

The main accused, Zubair, was arrested on Friday night and sent to jail. Efforts are currently underway to identify and arrest the others involved, said the officer.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ashutosh Kumar affirmed that the police remain on high alert across the district.

"Teams are monitoring the situation on the ground and social media. Local intelligence unit (LIU) personnel in plain clothes are active in sensitive areas," he said, asserting, "Anyone attempting to disturb communal harmony will face strict action." PTI COR CDN RT RT RT