The Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui late on Tuesday night on charges of religious conversion, news agency ANI reported. Siddiqui is one of the biggest clerics from western Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said that the cleric had direct links with mass unlawful conversion racket.
"Mulana Kaleem had direct links with mass unlawful conversion racket which was busted by ATS earlier this year. Kaleem not only funded and oversaw conversion activities but also used his trust to fund madrasas involved in unlawful conversion," said Kumar.
He added that Siddiqui's trust trust received huge amounts of foreign funds.
"Investigation shows that Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui's trust received ₹3 crore in foreign funding including ₹1.5 from crore Bahrain," said Kumar, adding that six teams of ATS have been formed to investigate the case.
In a statement, the ATS said that Siddiqui runs Jamia Imam Waliullah trust that funds several madrassas for which he received huge foreign funding, according to ANI.
The Maulana was taken into custody while he was returning to his home at village Fulat in Muzaffarnagar after attending a programme in Meerut on Tuesday night. Angry locals immediately launched a protest outside Lisari Gate police station to know the whereabouts of the Maulana.
{{/usCountry}}The Maulana was taken into custody while he was returning to his home at village Fulat in Muzaffarnagar after attending a programme in Meerut on Tuesday night. Angry locals immediately launched a protest outside Lisari Gate police station to know the whereabouts of the Maulana.
{{/usCountry}}Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Amanatullah Khan, the chairman of Delhi Waqf Board, slammed the arrest, calling it “atrocity on Muslims”. Khan was at the centre of the storm during the Shaheen Bagh protests.