Islamic preacher Mufti Salman Azhari who was booked in an alleged hate speech case, and was detained from his Ghatkopar residence on Sunday by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), has been granted transit bail remand by the local court. Meanwhile, Azhari’s supporters who had gathered outside Ghatkopar police station on Sunday evening, protesting and demanding his immediate release, were lathi-charged after they allegedly turned violent. Eventually, some were arrested by the police who were part of the group that pelted stones and stopped buses.
According to Ghatkopar police officials, nearly 3,000 people were present who were alleged supporters of Azhari. The crowd blocked and jammed the LBS Road, accordingly, additional teams of uniformed personnel (reserve police) were deployed. The lathicharge began after some of them pelted stones on the local buses.
Azhari, who was taken to the Ghatkopar police station by the Gujarat ATS, was instructed to be taken to Gujarat by the court. As Azhari was taken to the police vehicle, the group gathered started to turn violent, said the police. “Roads were blocked, traffic was jammed and the situation was getting out of control. The ones who pelted stones on buses and us (police) were placed into arrest and subsequently, an FIR was registered against almost 16 people, and many unknown ones,” said a police official.
The protestors were dragged into police vehicles by the police, and later they were sent to police custody, a source said, adding that five were arrested, of which three were residents of Ghatkopar and two were from Vikhroli’s Park Site area. On Monday, the police said that more CCTV camera footage will be examined by them to identify and trace the people who started the violent attack, and they will be arrested.
The five individuals who were arrested have been slapped with sections 353 (assault or criminal force to public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint), 141 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), and others of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Police Act.
While Azhari was being moved from Ghatkopar police station, the police asked him to tell his followers to disperse and he did by announcing the same using a loudspeaker. But only some moved away, yet a large chunk remained there nevertheless.
Azhari was also taken to Sion Hospital for medical examination before he started his journey to Gujarat’s Junagadh police station for further investigation by the Gujarat ATS.
Azhari delivered the speech on Wednesday night at an open ground at Junagadh and by Saturday, clips of his speech started to circulate on social media. Followed by the Junagadh B Division police station filing a case against Azhari and two men - Mohammad Yousuf Malek and Azim Habib Odedar, who organised the event. On the same day, both of them were arrested, who are residents of Gujarat. On Sunday morning, the Gujarat ATS, along with Mumbai ATS and the local police reached Azhari’s residence in Ghatkopar’s Chirag Nagar area. After a stakeout consisting of nearly 15-20 police personnel, they entered Azhari’s house to detain him.
Azhari has been detained and the two organisers of the event, who were arrested, under sections 153B (promoting enmity between different religious groups) and 502 (2) (making statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.
