Uttar Pradesh: Cleric Held For Pro-Palestine Social Media Posts Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

In a recent development in Uttar Pradesh, a cleric named Suhail Ansari, 23, was arrested in Hamirpur for his alleged involvement in “promoting enmity” through social media posts that expressed solidarity with Palestine.

This arrest comes just days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a warning against activities opposing the Central government’s views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Ansari, along with another cleric, Atif Chowdhary, was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between two groups) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes) in the same case.

At the time of their booking, Atif Chowdhary was reported as absconding.

The arrest was prompted by Ansari’s social media posts in support of Palestine, where he had publicly declared his stance.

Furthermore, in another post, he had allegedly called on people to assemble at a mosque. Police authorities cited these actions as potentially instigating law-and-order issues, leading to his arrest.

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Ansari was presented before a local court, which subsequently remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days.

Chief Minister Adityanath, in a recent law-and-order review meeting, had urged strict action against activities that ran contrary to the Indian government’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

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