Hate Speech Case: Lathicharge Outside Police Station in Mumbai as Guj Cops Detain Islamic Preacher

Gujarat Police probing a hate speech case on Sunday detained Islamic preacher Mufti Salman Azhari in Mumbai and left with him in the evening, an official said. Police resorted to mild lathicharge as hundreds of supporters of the Mufti gathered outside Ghatkopar police station demanding his immediate release, bringing traffic to a standstill in the area, the official said.

The Gujarat Police team has left with Azhari, the official added. 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).

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