The Uttar Pradesh Bareilly police have arrested a man for allegedly sharing an offensive Facebook post that allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.
According to the police press note, on Wednesday, July 3, the accused identified as Yogendra Prakash, a resident of Baraur village had shared an offensive morphed photo on Facebook depicting a pig, which is considered a banned animal in Islam, placed on an image of Kaaba, the holy pilgrimage site for Muslims located in Saudi Arabia.
The man who operates his Facebook account under the username “Yogendra Yogendra Gangwar” has 5700 followers. His account shows that he is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter as his profile picture is purportedly edited with the tagline “Kanwal khila ga ab ki baar“, which is BJP’s famous election slogan.
Yogendra is a repeat offender, who often used to mock Islam and Muslims. His Facebook page is filled with anti-Muslim rhetoric and conspiracy theories like love jihad, and population jihad, propagated by BJP leaders and right-wing members.
However, his recent post sparked widespread outrage, prompting Nawabganj police to take the matter seriously.
Subsequently, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or spiritual beliefs.
“The accused, Yogendra Prakash, son of Nanhenlal alias Janaki Prasad, was promptly arrested by a police team led by Sub-Inspector Yogesh Sharma and Constable Anuj Sammonia of Nawabganj police station. The police have initiated legal proceedings against the accused, and further investigation is underway,” the police press note stated.
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