The Uttar Pradesh police has arrested on Thursday, Muslim cleric Maulana Yasir Akhtar of Azamgarh district for urging Muslims to put up Palestinian flags atop their houses and vehicles after the Friday Namaz as reported by Times Now.

Azamgarh SP, Sudhir Kumar Singh reportedly said, “It came to our notice that Yasir, a resident of North Curihar Kasba in Saraimir area, made an appeal on his Facebook page, ‘Azamgarh Express’, displaying the Palestinian flag and asking the community members to put such flags atop their houses and vehicles after Friday Namaz”.

He further added that, “An FIR was lodged against him at Saramir police station, and he was arrested with the help of the surveillance cell. Further legal action against him is underway.”

This come in the heels of incident in Kannauj where Imam Mohammad Afzal and four others were arrested on May 18th for raising pro-Pakistan slogans. The video of the incident had gone viral on the social media creating communal tension in the area.

A week before, in Azamgarh’s Sitapur a newly elected village Pradhan was booked by the Police for taking out a procession rally belting out pro-Pakistan slogans and songs celebrating his electoral victory.

There is as increasing trend of radicalisation among the Muslim community for over two decades due to increase in population of Muslims owing to higher birth rates and influx of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims and pandering of Islamist demands by pseudo-secular political parties.

Edited image sourced from Quint

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