UP elderly woman detained for offering namaz in front of DM’s office

A 71-year-old woman was detained for offering namaz in front of the district magistrate’s office in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district on Monday, March 31.

A video of her praying emerged on social media platforms. Her act led to the suspension of seven home guards on duty stationed at the district magistrate’s office for negligence in security arrangements.

Hamirpur superintendent of police Deeksha Sharma said that the woman, Munni, a resident of Sufiganj, was later released after her family members alleged she was ‘mentally unstable.’

Two weeks ago, on March 16, a student named Khalid Pradhan was arrested for the same in an open area of a private university in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.

He was arrested following protests by local far-right Hindu groups over a purported video that had surfaced around Holi celebrations showing a group of students offering namaz on the university campus.

Pradhan was suspended by the university administration. Three security personnel were also suspended.

Pradhan was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008.