Police in Uttar Pradesh have registered a case against two unidentified people for allegedly setting fire to an Islamic flag outside a mosque during a Durga idol immersion procession in Garwar town.
The incident took place on Wednesday night as the procession passed through the mosque. According to police, some participants allegedly burned a flag that was attached to an electricity pole outside the mosque.
Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Verma said the police learned about the episode through social media on Thursday. A formal case was registered on Friday after a complaint was received. Verma said strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible. The reports do not say who filed the complaint, or which sections of the law have been invoked.
Several Muslim organisations reacted strongly on social media platform X, and shared a video that purportedly shows some youths shouting inflammatory slogans and trying to burn the flag while the procession was under way.
The footage also appears to show police personnel present at the spot during the incident. The video has not been independently verified, and police have not commented on why no action was taken at the time.
Police say investigations are under way to identify those involved, and no arrests have been reported so far.
Durga idol immersion processions, which end the nine-day festival, are routinely escorted by police in towns across Uttar Pradesh, and routes that pass places of worship are often marked as sensitive.
