A man was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday, September 1 for burning pages of the Quran in Bulandshahr district.
Imran had recently converted to Hinduism while expressing his support for Swami Ramgiri Maharaj, a Hindu religious preacher who recently made derogatory comments in Maharashtra about Prophet Muhammed.
In an offensive video that went viral on social media platforms, Imran can be seen tearing pages of the Quran and burning it. He also made inappropriate comments about Islam while stating, “Whatever Swami Ramgiri Maharaj said about Islam was right.”
Pertinently, the Quran is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God.
Justifying his actions in the video, he alleged that the religion promotes “violence and disrespect towards women”.
The man further argued that his conversion to Hinduism and later actions were a form of protest against what he perceived as the “injustices within Islam”, leading to widespread outrage within the Muslim community, prompting members to demand his arrest.
In response to the outcry, the police acted swiftly and filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Imran under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for hurting religious sentiments.
SP Rural Rohit Mishra stated that strict action will be taken against those found involved in inciting communal disharmony in the state.
The incident is reminiscent of a previous case involving a man named Sameer, a self-declared atheist who torched the Quran and later uploaded its video on YouTube. His actions were similarly criticised as a publicity stunt to gain attention and fame from certain online communities.
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