The Uttar Pradesh High Court on Thursday gave a green signal for trial against an accused under National Security Act (NSA) for attacking an IAS officer in the Barabanki illegal structure demolition case.
A controversy had erupted after the Barabanki administration had pulled down an old illegal structure constructed in a mosque area. During the demolition of the structure, one Mohammed Ishtiaque along with a mob had attacked the residence of the Joint Magistrate IAS Divyanshu Patel.
Barabanki DM Adarsh Singh had then filed a case under NSA against the attackers, which was approved by the High Court on Thursday.
Additionally, the SDM had released a notice to restrict people from entering the place of demolition. Following the notice when some miscreants were stopped from entering the site, they resorted to stone pelting injuring five police officials. A case was registered against 150 people in this matter.
Farce controversy on demolishing ‘mosque’
As per reports, the Barabanki administration had come across a structure with two to three rooms built inside the ‘tehsil’ premises in Ram Sanehi Ghat area. When IAS Patel enquired about the structure and asked for identity proofs from the occupants of the room, they all fled.
An order was then released to demolish the structure, however, Muslim organizations like the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and UP Sunni Central Waqf Board and Samajwadi Party, the primary opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, started crying foul.
The outraging Muslim organizations and opposition claimed that the demolished structure was a 100-year-old mosque. However, the authorities maintained that the structure they demolished on court orders was indeed an illegal residential structure that encroached on the government land.
District Magistrate Adarsh Singh also confirmed: “A notice was served on people concerned on March 15, giving them an opportunity to put forth their views over the ownership but those residing there fled after receiving the notice”.
FIR against ‘The Wire’ for furthering fake news
Apart from the Muslim organizations and the opposition, media publication ‘The Wire’ also joined the wagon to further the claim that the demolished structure was indeed a mosque.
Subsequently, the Uttar Pradesh police registered an FIR against the far-left propaganda portal, for spreading animosity and disturbing communal harmony in the society by propagating misinformation through a video documentary in connection with the Barabanki illegal mosque demolition case.
In its documentary, the Wire had stated that the Muslims in the area had protested against the demolition of the mosque and stated that the police officials had quelled by resorting to a lathi charge. The Wire had claimed that the Barabanki police specifically targeted the Muslim community and had thrown away their religious scriptures into the drain.
The case against The Wire was filed under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 505 (1) (b) (intent to cause or likely to cause fear or alarm among the public), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
