Fatehpur police arrested Maulana Firoz Alam, a 45-year-old cleric, shortly after his release from jail, where he had been detained since 2021. The arrest occurred on charges of breaching public peace after a “provocative” welcome held at his home in Ghazipur town on Friday.
“Along with Firoz Alam, we have arrested 18 others involved in the case. The action was taken based on a complaint alleging that after his release, a grand reception was organized, during which Alam delivered a speech. This celebration, which included bursting crackers and chanting religious slogans, offended some people’s sentiments,” said Pramod Kumar Maurya, Station House Officer at Ghazipur police station.
According to the police, Alam, who is originally from Nepal’s Mahottari district, had been residing in India since 2001. Before his arrest, he served as the imam of a mosque in Ghazipur and often travelled to Nepal to visit his family.
In October 2021, Fatehpur police arrested Alam for his involvement in “illegal conversions and the possession of forged identity documents.” During a raid on his rented house in Fatehpur, police claimed to have found multiple identity documents in his name, including a PAN card, voter ID card, Aadhaar card, driving license, and passport.
Alam was released from jail on Friday, but the police acted swiftly to intervene after receiving a tip-off about the celebrations, which led to the arrests of Alam and the other 18 individuals. They have been booked under charges related to disturbing public peace.
