A 15-year-old boy has been detained in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly posting objectionable content on social media against the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony held in Ayodhya on Monday.
The FIR, registered under sections 295A (outraging religious feelings) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code, was filed at the Chatroo police station against the minor, whose name has been withheld due to his age.
FIR No.5/2024 u/s 295A,153A IPC at Police Station,Chatroo against a minor (name withheld) for hurting religious sentiments of particular community.He has been detained & further investigation taken up.@OfficeOfLGJandK @JmuKmrPolice
@adgp_igp— DISTRICT POLICE KISHTWAR (@SSPKishtwar) January 23, 2024
Sources informed The Chenab Times that the boy allegedly posted about rebuilding the Babri Masjid at the disputed spot and made objectionable comments on social media platforms regarding the Ram temple consecration ceremony, which offended the religious sentiments of a particular community. He was subsequently detained and further investigation is underway.
This incident comes amidst heightened security measures across the country following the Ram Mandir ceremony. In another related incident, police personnel were deployed outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi on Monday as a precaution after a video of two-three students raising slogans such as “Strike for Babri” surfaced online.
The deployment was made in view of the ongoing Ram temple consecration ceremony and the upcoming Republic Day celebrations. The police have assured that the deployment is purely precautionary and there is no need for panic.
The illegal Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya in 1992 was a highly contentious event that led to widespread communal violence across India. The land dispute over the site has been a major source of tension for decades, and the recent consecration of the Ram temple has brought the issue back into focus.
The BJP, the political party that spearheaded the Ram temple movement, has been accused by some of using the issue for vote bank politics. However, the party has denied these allegations, saying that the construction of the Ram temple was a long-cherished dream of the Hindu community and that it has been fulfilled through a democratic and legal process.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has condemned the Babri Masjid demolition and divisive politics, urging for religious inclusiveness. She has accused the BJP of resorting to vote bank politics by dividing votes on the basis of religion.
Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times