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Two women who raised pro-Pak slogans at Basti Jagran, held
Four people, including two women, were arrested for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans during a religious event in Basti district. The minor girl involved has not been apprehended. The arrests were made after a complaint was filed by the village Pradhan, who alleged a larger conspiracy.
Four people, including two women, were arrested on Wednesday after a 15-year-old Muslim girl allegedly climbed onto a ‘Jagran’ stage on Monday night and raised pro-Pakistan slogans in Basti district, said senior police officials here on Thursday. They said the minor girl has not been apprehended.
The officials said the arrests were made after the village Pradhan filed a police complaint alleging that the girl’s act was part of a larger conspiracy that included her family members and her neighbours.
According to the police, the village Pradhan, Ashish Gupta, lodged a complaint on Tuesday, stating that on Monday evening, a Jagran was organised at the village crossing by the local unit of the Maa Singh Vahini Durga Pooja Samiti.
The Pradhan alleged that the girl from a neighbouring village climbed up on stage, threw a black cloth on the idol of the goddess and raised slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. He further alleged that the girl also issued a threat of instigating a riot.
“The action of the girl in the video shows she was issuing a threat. We still need to check what slogans she raised after climbing onto the stage,” Basti, circle officer, Sheshmani Upadhyaya, said.
Following the complaint, the girl, her parents, two sisters, two brothers and two of her neighbours were booked under IPC sections 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, the police officer said.
