Day after, Ghatkopar police arrest 5 for mob trying to prevent cleric’s arrest

The Ghatkopar police registered a case against hundreds of supporters of cleric Mufti Salman Azhari who surrounded the police station on Sunday evening

MUMBAI: Five people have been arrested on charges of rioting and obstructing public servants from discharging their duties in connection with the mob that gathered outside the Ghatkopar police station to stop the Gujarat anti-terror squad from taking Islamic cleric Mufti Salman Azhari to Gujarat in connection with a hate speech case.

Islamic cleric, Mufti Salman Azhari, was arrested by the Gujarat police on Sunday for a January 31 speech that he had delivered. (HT Photo/Satish Bate)

The Ghatkopar police registered a case against 16 individuals and 800 others after hundreds of supporters of the cleric including local politicians surrounded the police station on Sunday evening where Azhari was being held to complete the formalities of his arrest.

Police said a first information report (FIR) was registered in connection with the events on Sunday, accusing the mob and its leaders of violations under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code including obstructing public servants from performing their duty, assault, rioting and causing hurt.

The standoff between the police and the mob continued late into the night, and saw Azhari, at the request of the police, making an appeal to the crowds over a loudspeaker to maintain peace.

Islamic preacher Mufti Salman Azhari appealed to the crowd to maintain peace (HT Ppoto/Satish Bate)

Earlier in the evening, Azhari’s supporters also tried to stop traffic on a nearby road but they were dispersed by the police who used ‘mild force” to disperse the crowd. According to the police, five police officers including assistant commissioner of police Jitendra Agarkar sustained injuries when some people threw stones at a bus.

The situation is now under control, but as a precautionary measure we have called a battalion of the state reserve police force (SRPF) and Riot Control Force along with the police personnel of nearby police stations have also been deployed in Vikroli, Ghatkopar and the neighbouring areas, said Purshottam Karad, deputy commissioner of police. Zone 7.

Police said the five people arrested on Monday were identified as Salman Sayeed, 25, Azim Sheikh, 21, Mohammed Shabbirlal Mohammed, 32, all residents of Ghatkopar West and Mohammed Bilal Abdul Rehman Kazi, 23, Abdul Rehman Abdula Kazi, 60, both residents of Park Site in Vikhroli.

Azhari, who was accused of delivering a hate speech, was produced before a local court that granted transit remand to take him to Gujarat.

He was arrested for allegedly inflammatory remarks during a speech in Gujarat on January 31 at Narayan Vidya Mandir near Junagadh court on January 31. The Gujarat police registered an FIR at Junagadh after a video of the speech went viral on social media and booked Azhari for hate speech.