Communal tension in Araria's Jogbani after objectionable post against Prophet Mohammad; one arrested

by IANS |

Patna, Sep 27 (IANS) A day after communal tension flared between two communities in Jogbani town over an objectionable social media post, the district police arrested a 20-year-old man on Saturday morning. The accused, Aryan Shah, allegedly uploaded a derogatory post against Prophet Mohammad on his Instagram account, triggering unrest in the area on Friday.

Following a complaint by Zishan Khan, a resident of Ward No. 8 in the Choti Masjid locality of Jogbani town, police verified the post and took Aryan Shah into custody on Saturday.

An FIR under relevant Sections of the BNS Act and IT Act has been registered at the Jogbani police station.

“The situation is under control. Additional forces have been deployed in sensitive areas to prevent any escalation of communal tension,” said the Station House Officer (SHO).

The controversy led to attempts by some individuals to force market closures on Friday, prompting heavy police deployment.

The offensive post came a day before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to nearby Forbesganj on Saturday for a meeting with BJP leaders and workers.

Following the incident, Opposition leaders criticised the NDA government.

RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari accused the ruling NDA of attempting to stoke communal unrest ahead of elections.

“Whenever elections take place in Bihar, the BJP tries to create communal tension. The Jogbani incident is an example of this. They want to turn Bihar into Uttar Pradesh, but it won’t be possible while the RJD is here. We will foil their plan.”

JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar condemned the act and assured strict action.

“During Navratri, when people worship Goddess Durga, an attempt was made to create frenzy in Araria’s Jogbani city. Our government’s USP is clear — anyone who does wrong will go to jail. Those creating disturbances have been identified through CCTV footage, and strict action will follow. One person has already been arrested in this matter,” Kumar said.

Authorities remain on alert to prevent any further disturbances.