Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The ‘Namaz vs Sundar Kand’ controversy spiralled in the state capital Lucknow on Saturday, with a number of right-wing activists thronging the newly-inaugurated LuLu Mall to recite Hanuman Chalisa and ‘Sunder Kand’.
They were lodged their protest against a group of unidentified persons who offered namaz in the corridors of the mall on Tuesday. The video of this had gone viral on social media.
Earlier, the Lucknow police, based on the complaint submitted by the mall management after the video drew attention, had lodged an FIR against unknown persons. They had been booked under IPC Sections 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 505 (Statements conducing public mischief) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings). Cops are yet to identify these people.
“FIR is lodged and police are probing matter using CCTV footage in connection with viral videos of people offering namaz at LuLu Mall,” said Rajesh Srivastava, ADCP, South Lucknow.
Meanwhile, the protests over the namaz issue continued on Saturday with a number of right-wing supporters, including those of the Karni Sena, thronging the mall to recite Hanuman Chalisa inside it.
Amid the deployment of a heavy contingent of the police force and Provincial Armed Constabulary, they could not enter the mall and were arrested beforehand. Security was further beefed up in view of the call given by the Karni Sena to their followers to reach the mall and recite the Sunder Kand there. Section 144 was also clamped in the areas adjoining the mall.
The protesting right-wing activists were arrested and booked for promoting enmity between different groups and intending to outrage religious feelings.
Spread over a sprawling 11-acre area and built at the cost of Rs 20000 crore, the Lucknow mall — the biggest in the series of five LuLu malls across India — has now plunged headlong into the controversy just days after its inauguration.
The mall, owned by Kerala-based businessman MA Yusuf Ali of LuLu Group International, a multinational conglomerate company that operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, was inaugurated by UP CM Yogi Adityanath last Sunday.
On Friday, three members of a right-wing outfit had been arrested from outside the mall when they were trying to enter it to recite ‘Sundar Kand’ while another man was held by the mall authorities for trying to offer ‘namaz’.
ADCP Srivastava said that at around 5 pm on Friday, three persons — Sarojnath Yogi, Krishna Kumar Pathak and Gaurav Goswami (all members of a right wing organization) — tried to enter the mall from Gate number 1. Security personnel stopped the trio but they still insisted on reciting the ‘Sundar Kand’. They were later detained by the police.
Another man, Ashraf Ali, was also detained for trying to offer ‘namaz’ within the mall’s premises. “All of them have been booked for breach of peace,” Srivastava said.
The mall authorities have now put up placards and signboards announcing that no religious prayers will be permitted on the premises.
Assistant Commissioner of police, Gosainganj, Swati Chaudhary, said all aspects of the incident were being investigated. “Police are scanning the CCTV footage to identify those who offered prayers,” she said.
Police said they were trying to trace the person who shot the video and circulated it.
LUCKNOW: The ‘Namaz vs Sundar Kand’ controversy spiralled in the state capital Lucknow on Saturday, with a number of right-wing activists thronging the newly-inaugurated LuLu Mall to recite Hanuman Chalisa and ‘Sunder Kand’.
They were lodged their protest against a group of unidentified persons who offered namaz in the corridors of the mall on Tuesday. The video of this had gone viral on social media.
Earlier, the Lucknow police, based on the complaint submitted by the mall management after the video drew attention, had lodged an FIR against unknown persons. They had been booked under IPC Sections 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 505 (Statements conducing public mischief) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings). Cops are yet to identify these people.
“FIR is lodged and police are probing matter using CCTV footage in connection with viral videos of people offering namaz at LuLu Mall,” said Rajesh Srivastava, ADCP, South Lucknow.
Meanwhile, the protests over the namaz issue continued on Saturday with a number of right-wing supporters, including those of the Karni Sena, thronging the mall to recite Hanuman Chalisa inside it.
Amid the deployment of a heavy contingent of the police force and Provincial Armed Constabulary, they could not enter the mall and were arrested beforehand. Security was further beefed up in view of the call given by the Karni Sena to their followers to reach the mall and recite the Sunder Kand there. Section 144 was also clamped in the areas adjoining the mall.
The protesting right-wing activists were arrested and booked for promoting enmity between different groups and intending to outrage religious feelings.
Spread over a sprawling 11-acre area and built at the cost of Rs 20000 crore, the Lucknow mall — the biggest in the series of five LuLu malls across India — has now plunged headlong into the controversy just days after its inauguration.
The mall, owned by Kerala-based businessman MA Yusuf Ali of LuLu Group International, a multinational conglomerate company that operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, was inaugurated by UP CM Yogi Adityanath last Sunday.
On Friday, three members of a right-wing outfit had been arrested from outside the mall when they were trying to enter it to recite ‘Sundar Kand’ while another man was held by the mall authorities for trying to offer ‘namaz’.
ADCP Srivastava said that at around 5 pm on Friday, three persons — Sarojnath Yogi, Krishna Kumar Pathak and Gaurav Goswami (all members of a right wing organization) — tried to enter the mall from Gate number 1. Security personnel stopped the trio but they still insisted on reciting the ‘Sundar Kand’. They were later detained by the police.
Another man, Ashraf Ali, was also detained for trying to offer ‘namaz’ within the mall’s premises. “All of them have been booked for breach of peace,” Srivastava said.
The mall authorities have now put up placards and signboards announcing that no religious prayers will be permitted on the premises.
Assistant Commissioner of police, Gosainganj, Swati Chaudhary, said all aspects of the incident were being investigated. “Police are scanning the CCTV footage to identify those who offered prayers,” she said.
Police said they were trying to trace the person who shot the video and circulated it.
