In fresh developments in the Lulu Mall namaz controversy, four men have been arrested in connection with a July 12 video that showed them offering namaz on the mall premises.
The men have been identified as Mohammed Rehan of Lucknow, Atif Khan of Mohammedi in Lakhimpur Kheri district, and brothers Mohammed Lokman Ali and Mohammed Noman Ali of Laharpur in Sitapur district.
थाना सुशांत गोल्फ सिटी पुलिस टीम द्वारा लू0 लू0 माल में बिना अनुमति नमाज पढ़ने वाले 04 वांछित अभियुक्तगण गिरफ्तार।#UPPolice#Lkopolice_On_Duty@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/vR74K6jyR4
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE LUCKNOW (@lkopolice) July 19, 2022
Police have also clarified that the three Hindu and one Muslim man who had been arrested on July 15 did not appear in the Namaz video from July 12. This was to put an end to widespread rumours on social media about the men in the video not being Muslims, but instead being miscreants posing as Muslims to disrupt communal harmony.
Police have now clarified that three Hindu men, namely – Saroj Nath Yogi, Krishna Kumar Pathak and Gaurav Goswami – were arrested on July 15 when they tried to recite Hanuman Chalisa in the mall. The fourth, a Muslim man named Arshad Ali was also arrested on the same day for trying to offer namaz in the mall.
However, none of these men appeared in the namaz video.
सोशल मीडिया पर लू-लू मॉल प्रकरण के सम्बन्ध में कुछ युवकों का नाम लेकर भ्रामक खबरें प्रसारित की जा रही है, जो कि पूर्णतया असत्य है ।
लखनऊ कमिश्नरेट पुलिस इस भ्रामक खबर का पूर्ण रूप से खण्डन करती है।@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/KREhWwnAZu
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE LUCKNOW (@lkopolice) July 18, 2022
The rumours had been sparked when it was pointed out that at least one of the eight men seen in the video was not facing the correct direction while offering namaz, and that the men finished namaz in 18 seconds, instead of the usual 7-8 minutes. This discrepancy was also reported in several publications like National Herald and Amar Ujala. This, along with the Police’s previous tweet about the arrest of the three Hindu men caused to confusion, leading many to conclude that the men in the video didn’t know the first thing about offering the traditional Islamic prayer, and may have just been putting on a show for the cameras, perhaps in a bid to spark communal discord.
Lulu Mall is one of the largest retail outlets in northern India, boasting 300 shops spread over 2.2 million square feet with an 11-storey parking space. It is owned by Yussuffali M.A. from Kerala who runs the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Lulu Group, the multinational conglomerate. A few days after its inauguration, a video showing a few people offering namaz in a corner of the shopping mall, went viral on social media.
This sparked controversy and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha then demanded that people boycott the mall. The group’s national spokesperson Shishir Chaturvedi was quoted by India Today as saying, “People offered namaz sitting on the floor in Lulu Mall, this video proves that government orders were violated in the mall. The government has directed that namaz cannot be offered in public spaces.” He also told The Telegraph, “We have also learnt that 70 per cent of the mall employees are Muslim and 30 per cent are Hindus. The mall is promoting Muslims and Islam.” Group members also alleged that a majority of the male employees were Muslim, while female employees were Hindu, sparking allegations of “Love Jihad”.
The organisation then filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the Lucknow Police, against “unknown Namazis” under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, mall authorities put up notices in different parts of the mall saying, “No religious prayers will be permitted in the mall.” After initial investigations, the police also found that no mall employee was involved in the incident.
Related:
Lucknow: Were Lulu mall “namazis” part of conspiracy to disrupt communal harmony?
Lucknow: Lulu mall authorities put up notices prohibiting religious prayers on mall premises