Police deployed in UP's Tilhar after post on Prophet flares tempers

Security stepped up in Tilhar area of district after large number of people gathered outside police station demanding arrest of a youth accused of sharing social media post on Prophet, police said

Security was stepped up in the Tilhar area of the district here after a large number of people gathered outside a police station demanding the arrest of a youth accused of sharing a social media post on Prophet Mohammad, police said on Wednesday.

The accused has since been arrested and police have been deployed at his house to prevent any flare-ups.

Police were deployed at all intersections of the Tilhar town as a precautionary measure, they said.

Superintendent of Police S Anand told PTI that one Varun Dhawan, a resident of Dabhaura village under Tilhar Police Station, had on Tuesday shared a post related to the Prophet on his social media account. He had picked the post from another social media handle, the SP said.

The accused later deleted the post, which was in Urdu, and also released a video saying he had shared the post by mistake, the officer said. The accused also said in the video that his intention was never to hurt the sentiments of any religion, but by then the post had gone viral, he added.

Later on Tuesday evening, hundreds of people reached the Tilhar Police Station creating a ruckus and demanding that Dhawan be arrested immediately, the SP said.

Circle Officer (CO) Tilhar Priyank Jain said as soon as he received information about the matter, he went to the spot and tried to pacify the people but the size of the crowd kept growing. Police then called for more forces at the station and a team was sent to arrest the accused.

Dhawan was taken into custody and sent to another police station in the district, the CO said.

Jain said the protestors continued to agitate despite the arrest and dispersed only when newly elected municipal chairman Hajra Begum's husband appealed to them to return to their homes, the CO said.

However, some protestors headed towards Dhawan's village, forcing police to deploy forces outside his house, he said.

Police continue to patrol Dabhaura and are keeping a watch at his house, where his sister's wedding is also scheduled to take place. "Now the situation is normal," Jain said.

Dhawan has been arrested allegedly for "hurting religious sentiments" and he will be sent to jail today, the CO added.