Bharuch: The local police on Sunday arrested a 54-year-old Muslim cleric in Amod for a provocative social media post that could potentially breach communal peace ahead of Eid-ul-Adha today.

Maulvi Abdul Rahim Rathod, a cleric at Daru Uloom Barkat-e-Khwaja, has been booked for “promoting enmity” after he made a social media post on the Islamic “kurbani no tariko,” describing the method of animal sacrifice, including cows among other animals like camels and buffaloes.

“The post by the cleric was provocative as it explicitly mentioned cow slaughter. We acted to prevent any potential issues. The cleric posted an apology after realizing the police were after him,” said Bharuch Superintendent of Police Mayur Chavda.

Maulvi has been booked under IPC Sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 295(A) (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), as well as the IT Act.

While the case is lodged at Amod police station, the cleric has been handed over to the Special Operations Group (SOG) for further investigation to determine if he was encouraged or assisted by others in making the post.

Maulvi has a criminal history and was previously booked in 2022 under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act for the religious conversion of tribals. DeshGujarat