Prabhas Patan: Muhammad Irfan Rasheed, a cleric who made and uploaded a viral video in Somnath, hailing Ghazanvi who desecrated and looted Somnath temple has been nabbed by Gir Somnath Police of Gujarat from Panipat in Haryana. Police in Gir Somnath has filed First Information Report (FIR) against Rasheed under IPC 153(A) and 295(A).

IPC 153(A): Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.—

(1) Whoever—

(a) by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise, promotes or attempts to promote, on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different reli­gious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communi­ties.

IPC 295(A): Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs.—Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of 273 [citizens of India], 274 [by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise], insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 4 [three years], or with fine, or with both.]

Rasheed had captured and uploaded video on his Youtube account in May 2019. However the video went viral this week, following which Somnath Mandir’s general manager submitted complain note before local police. Rasheed had yesterday released a fresh video in which he had tendered apology.

A man in viral Somnath – Ghazanvi video, Muhammad Irfan Rasheed tenders "apology from depth of
heart" in a fresh video released. He says what he said in May 2019 video has been manipulated by media and he was just narrating history. He says he visited Sommath just as a tourist. pic.twitter.com/x66eoYAq7l

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) March 16, 2021

DeshGujarat