A Muslim woman, Sajina, 45, and her daughter, Sabina, 19, were detained by the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments by offering ‘namaz’ inside a Hindu temple. The woman and her mother, who accompanied her to the temple, have been charged with “criminal conspiracy” and “outraging religious sentiment” due to the manner in which they prayed at the temple.

Along with them, a maulvi (teacher of Islamic law) has also been arrested by the police for allegedly provoking them to offer ‘namaz’ at the temple in the Kesarpur village under the Bhuta police station’s jurisdiction, The Indian Express reported.

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“All three have been arrested and sent to jail. They were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). The village has a mixed population, and we have deployed police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel in strength to ensure that the incident does not spread communal hatred,” said Rajesh Kumar Mishra, in charge of the Bhuta police station in Bareilly.

The police said Sajina and Sabina arrived at the temple in the afternoon and suddenly started offering ‘namaz’ on the temple premises. Those present tried to object to them, but the mother-daughter duo did not stop and continued with their prayers.

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“We have made a video of the incident and sent it to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s office and also to the state police chief, Vijay Kumar, for immediate police intervention,” said Prem Singh, the pradhan (head) of Kesarpur village, who lodged the FIR at the Bhuta police station.”
According to the police, the two were seen reciting verses of ‘namaz’ on the temple floor in the hope of good fortune after being instructed to do so by Maulvi Chaman Shah.

In one widely-shared video, the women can be seen in the temple, apparently praying while standing in a manner reminiscent of Islamic tradition. In another clip, she was observed bowing before a Shiva idol with a group of people present.