In a joint operation with the Bihar’s Bahraich Police, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested Maulana Abdullah Salim on Tuesday from Bihar for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the mother of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The accused has been brought to Bahraich for interrogation, the Police said.
Bahraich Kotwali Nagar police station officer in charge, Narayan Dutt Mishra, said that a case was registered on March 8 by Ajit Pratap Singh, the district president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) legal cell, against Salim.
“Since then, the police and the UP STF have been making continuous efforts to take him into custody,” Mishra added.
Salim, a resident of Araria in Bihar, allegedly made the derogatory remarks during a religious sermon in the month of Ramadan. A video of the incident went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage.
Following the incident, protests erupted in multiple locations, with demands for his immediate arrest intensifying. Authorities had been tracking Salim for weeks, but he reportedly changed locations frequently to evade arrest.
“Upon confirming his exact location, the joint team of UP STF and Bahraich police traveled to Purnia with assistance from the local police to take the maulana into custody,” Mishra said.
Police have also seized Salim’s car. The accused underwent a medical examination at Bahraich Medical College, and preparations are underway to send him to jail.
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