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VHP activists make pilgrims apologise for offering roadside namaz in Shahjahanpur
A video clip, purportedly of the incident, showed some men holding their ears in a gesture of apology. A couple of them were seen doing sit-ups. The incident took place on Sunday, but cops issued their version on Wednesday
LUCKNOW Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists confronted a group of Muslim pilgrims from West Bengal on their way to Ajmer, making them apologise for offering namaz by the roadside in UP’s Shahjahanpur and then sending them to the local police station.
On Tuesday, a video clip, purportedly of the incident, showed some men holding their ears in a gesture of apology. A couple of them were seen doing sit-ups. The incident took place on Sunday, but the police issued their version on Wednesday.
SP (Shahjahanpur) S Anand confirmed that a few people from West Bengal travelling to Rajasthan in a bus were found offering namaz on the road under Tilhar police station limits in Shahjahanpur. They were issued challans and then left for their journey ahead, he added.
ASP Sanjeev Vajpayee told media persons, “Eighteen people, who were on their way to Ajmer Sharif Dargah, were brought to the Tilhar police station on Sunday night with the complaint that they were offering namaz on the roadside. These people were released after they gave a written apology and were issued a challan.”
Local VHP leader Rajesh Awasthi, who reported the matter to police, stated, “I was on my way to some place when I saw some men offering namaz on the roadside.” Awasthi said he told them that they were in Uttar Pradesh, where offering namaz in the open was prohibited.
In a video that surfaced on social media, the VHP members were purportedly heard asking some passengers of a bus to hold their ears and apologize. Later, the bus left for Ajmer. Input from agencies
