UP Police makes 5th arrest in Lulu Mall namaz case | India News,The Indian Express

A video of people offering namaz at Lulu Mall had surfaced on social media on July 13. The incident kicked up a row as a right-wing Hindu outfit objected to the namaz being on the mall premises and sought permission to recite the Hanuman Chalisa there.

The Uttar Pradesh police Saturday held another person in connection with the unauthorised offering of namaz on a shopping mall premises here, which marks the fifth arrest in the case so far.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Rajesh Kumar Srivastav said, “Mohammad Adil, a resident of Chaupatiya in Lucknow, was arrested. The accused was among the people who offered religious prayers on the mall premises without permission.” This comes three days after the police arrested four persons in the case.

The officer said efforts are being made to arrest other accused in the case. None of those arrested is staff of Lulu Mall, which was inaugurated recently by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The arrests have been made after Adityanath Monday directed the administration to act tough against elements “hell-bent on vitiating the atmosphere” in the state. A video of people offering namaz at Lulu Mall had surfaced on social media on July 13.

The incident kicked up a row as a right-wing Hindu outfit objected to the namaz being on the mall premises and sought permission to recite the Hanuman Chalisa there. Some members of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha staged a sit-in at the gate of Lulu Mall on July 14.

Shishir Chaturvedi, who claimed to be the national spokesperson of the Mahasabha, had alleged that people belonging to a particular community were being allowed to offer prayers inside the mall.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/up-police-makes-5th-arrest-in-lulu-mall-namaz-case-8047795/

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