BJP MLA Puts Up Posters Against Pak, Booked: Cops

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Jaipur's Hawa Mahal Balmukundacharya was booked on late Friday night for allegedly putting up anti-Pakistan posters and raising religious slogans on the premises of the Jama Masjid in Jaipur's Johari Bazaar, during a rally to protest against the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed on April 22, officers aware of the matter said on Saturday.

- HT Correspondent

JAIPUR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Jaipur's Hawa Mahal Balmukundacharya was booked on late Friday night for allegedly putting up anti-Pakistan posters and raising religious slogans on the premises of the Jama Masjid in Jaipur's Johari Bazaar, during a rally to protest against the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed on April 22, officers aware of the matter said on Saturday.

The assistant police commissioner (ACP) of Manak Chowk, Hari Shankar Sharma, said that the MLA put up posters at around 9 pm inside the mosque along with some other BJP workers following the protest rally. "The action enraged the local Muslim community members who gathered in the area around midnight and started demanding immediate arrest of the MLA for hurting their sentiments. A large police force from five police stations were immediately deployed in the area while senior police officers also reached the spot to pacify the crowd."

Meanwhile, tension again gripped the area on Saturday, when a group of people from the Muslim community gathered in the area and tried to shut the local markets.

"They came to offer namaz at the Jama Masjid after which they gathered in front of the mosque and started protesting against last night's incident. They also tried to shut the market. We have applied mild force to disperse the crowd. The situation is under control now," said Manak Chowk police station Gurbhupendra Singh.