Man arrested for sacrilege attempt at UP mosque

Shahjahanpur (UP): The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested a man for allegedly burning a copy of the Quran inside a mosque here.

The accused has been identified as Taj Mohammad, they said, adding that it is not yet known why he committed the crime. Inspector General of Police Ramit Sharma said some part of the holy book was found burnt in Fakhre Alam mosque located in Kotwali area of the city Wednesday evening.

Superintendent of Police S Anand said an FIR was registered in the case and investigation was taken up without any delay. He said the accused was identified with the help of CCTV footage and later arrested from Barujai locality.

District Magistrate Umesh Pratap Singh along with Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Ramsevak Dwivedi inspected the spot and appealed to people to maintain peace and not pay heed to rumours. Meanwhile, police personnel have been deployed near the mosque to prevent any law and order situation.