Namaz at temple: Never wanted to disturb peace, harmony, says accused

PTI, Dec 26, 2020, 8:42 AM IST

Mathura: After being released on bail, Faisal Khan—who had offered namaz at a Mathura temple around months ago—refuted the allegations that he wanted to disturb the peace and harmony in the area through his act.

We cannot even think of spoiling the peace and harmony as we always worked for it, he said after his release from the Mathura jail on Thursday.

Faisal was granted conditional bail on December 18 by the Allahabad High Court, which directing him not to tamper with prosecution witnesses, cooperate in the trial and not to put photographs of such activities on social media till the pendency of case.

Police had arrested Faisal Khan and booked three others after a video clip showing members of their group offering namaz on the premises of the Mathura’s Nand Baba temple surfaced on social media.

The other three accused in the case were identified as Chand Mohammad, Alok Ratan, and Neelesh Gupta.

According to the FIR, the accused reportedly belonged to a Delhi-based organization, Khudai Khidmatgar, and two of them–Faisal Khan and Chand Mohammad– offered namaz at the temple on October 29 without permission.

The FIR alleged that it was done to show disrespect to the religious beliefs of the Hindu community and posed a threat to communal harmony. The complainants alleged that the accused received foreign funding for it.