‘Woman Offering Namaz at Hospital Not Crime,’ Says UP Police; Authorities Announce ‘Probe’ Anyway (The Wire)

Back to back incidents in Uttar Pradesh have seen Muslims face police action for offering namaz in public.

A video screengrab showing a woman offering namaz at a UP hospital.

By Sumedha Pal / The Wire

New Delhi: On September 23, a video surfaced on social media from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. It soon went viral.

In the video, a woman could be seen offering namaz in the premises of a hospital – the Tej Bahadur Sapru Chikitsalaya in the city.

Soon after, reports claimed that an FIR has been registered against the woman for offering prayers in public.

This news break came after eight people had been arrested for offering namaz at a weekly market in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar in July, and the arrest of four people who offered namaz at the Lulu Mall in Lucknow in the same month.

In August, in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, a similar row had surfaced on social media after which 26 persons were booked for offering namaz at their premises. Later, the Moradabad police had expunged the case citing lack of evidence.

Earlier, a professor from Varshney College in Aligarh had faced disciplinary action after offering namaz on the varsity’s grounds.

However, on the evening of September 23, Prayagraj police offered a clarification on Twitter stating that no case had been registered against the woman.

This story was originally published in thewire.in . Read the full story here

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