Karnataka youth held for social media post on Ram Temple: Police

The case has been registered at Koppal town police station against Shah Rukh Khan for the past few months

Bengaluru: The local police in Koppal district have arrested a 25-year-old man, identified as Shah Rukh Khan, for allegedly posting a controversial message on social media, causing concern over its potential to disturb peace. The case has been registered at Koppal town police station against Khan, a resident of Yalaburga town in Koppal district, who has been residing in Srishaila Nagar, Koppal, for the past few months.

The controversial post, on January 20, has ignited tensions after the accused expressed his views on the construction of temples and mosques.

The controversial post, on January 20, has ignited tensions as Khan expressed his views on the construction of temples and mosques. The purported message said: “Let a hundred or a thousand temples be built. We have no objection to that. However, we are against the construction of a temple on top of a mosque. Insha Allah, one day the Babri Masjid will stand up on the same site.”

Soon after the post went viral, workers of right-wing outfits staged a protest in front of the police station, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. “The timely action by the police averted communal unrest. Soon after receiving the complaint, we arrested the accused, identified as Shah Rukh Khan,” Koppala town police inspector Sathosh Hallura told HT.

“As he posted a communally sensitive post, we have booked him under IPC sections 295A (malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) and 153A (promoting enmity between groups). We produced him before the Koppal JMFC court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days,” the inspector added.

The incident comes a day after the police in Gadag district arrested a 33-year-old man for creating and circulating a fake photo depicting Muslim flags flying over the newly inaugurated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The arrest comes after the controversial image surfaced on social media, triggering widespread outrage among Ram Bhakts and sparking protests from pro-right wing organisations.

The arrested Muslim youth, identified as Tajuddin Dafedar, who allegedly manipulated an image to depict Muslim flags over the sacred site. Right wing groups brought this matter to the attention of the police, and right wing workers staged a protest in front of the police station on Sunday, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.