Gujarat Police Detain Islamic Preacher From Mumbai in Hate Speech Case

Mumbai: The Gujarat police on Sunday evening detained Islamic preacher Mufti Salman Azhari from Mumbai in a hate speech case. Following his apprehension, hundreds of his supporters gathered outside a police station in Mumbai demanding his immediate release from police custody. However, the police managed to control the crowd and left for Gujarat along with Azhari.

Police sources claimed that the police resorted to mild lathicharge as hundreds of supporters of Mufti gathered outside Ghatkopar police station demanding his immediate release, bringing traffic to a standstill in the area.

Junagadh Police arrested two persons on Saturday after a video of an inflammatory speech allegedly delivered by the preacher went viral on social media, a Gujarat Police officer has said.

The speech was delivered at an event held on an open ground near the 'B' division police station in Junagadh on the night of January 31, he said.

After the video went viral, a First Information Report was registered against Azhari and local organizers Mohammad Yousuf Malek and Azim Habib Odedara under Indian Penal Code sections 153B (promoting enmity between different religious groups) and 505 (2) (making statements conducive to public mischief).