Video footage of the assault on an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad had gone viral over the weekend and triggered shock across the country.
The issue also got intertwined with the Centre’s ongoing standoff with Twitter as the Uttar Pradesh Police booked the social media giant and others in an FIR. The FIR alleges video clips of the elderly man narrating his ordeal were shared with an intention to provoke communal unrest. On Tuesday, the Ghaziabad Police had said six people, including Muslims, had been arrested. Ruling out a communal angle in the incident, Ghaziabad Police SSP Amit Pathak said the accused were unhappy over an amulet the elderly man had sold them.
On Wednesday, Pathak was quoted by ANI as saying, "During inquiry, no communal angle found. As per them (accused), it's a case of personal dispute over an amulet... Teams are working to arrest other accused." Referring to sharing of video clips about the incident, Pathak said, "Content published on social media regarding this is irresponsible and unverified. Incident took place over an amulet. We've registered FIR against those who published this on social media to give it a different angle; 7 people and Twitter and Twitter India named in FIR."
Pathak added, "Our team is monitoring this continuously. Stringent action will be taken against all attempts to disturb communal harmony and peace. Accused do not belong to a single community; they belong to more than one community."
