Man beaten up, held for raising pro-Pak slogans during march against Pulwama attack

A 26-year-old man was beaten black and blue by the locals before being arrested for allegedly shouting pro-Pakistan slogans during a march against the Pulwama terror attack in neighbouring Basti district, police said Sunday.

The man, identified as Mohammad Khalid, was arrested on charges of raising slogans hailing Pakistan and denouncing India during a march against Pulwama attack in civil line area of Basti on Saturday, they said.

Khalid was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), SHO, Kotwali, MP Chaturvedi said.

As per reports, the incident took place last Saturday during a march, taken out by girl students and teachers of Begam Khair Inter College on Saturday, against the terror attack when Khalid insisted the marching girl to shout a slogan denouncing India and hailing Pakistan.

When the girl did not pay heed to him, Khalid started shouted the slogan, infuriating the locals who beat him until police rushed to his rescue and took him into the custody.

Angry BJP workers led by party leader Pramod Pandey reached the police station seeking stern action against Khalid who was booked later.

In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's three decades of militancy, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama district last Thursday, killing around 40 personnel and leaving many critically wounded.