Sambhal: Seven Muslims were arrested in connection with posters bearing ‘Free Gaza, Free Palestine’ messages appearing on walls of shops in Narauli town in Sambhal, police said on Sunday, April 20.
The posters, which came to light a few days ago, also included an appeal to the Muslim community to boycott Israeli goods.
Baniyather SHO Ramveer Singh told PTI that the police had launched a probe and identified the seven individuals based on CCTV camera footage. Additional information was gathered from owners of the shops on whose walls the posters appeared.
Singh said the arrested individuals were identified as Asim, Saif Ali, Rahees, Matloob, Fardeen, Arman and Arbaz.
Reacting to the incident, Bajrang Dal convenor Nitin Sharma told reporters that the posters, which urged Muslims to buy only from shops run by people of the same faith, were deeply disturbing and aimed at spreading communal hatred.
“These are not just posters. They represent a dangerous mentality that is seeping into the district,” Sharma claimed.
“The situation in West Bengal is alarming with increasing atrocities against Hindus. Similar signs are now visible in Sambhal, where posters have been put up asking Muslims to buy only from Muslims. Who is trying to incite riots and set the town on fire?” he asked.
He said that if the administration fails to take immediate action, organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal will take matters into their own hands.
Israel launched military operation in Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.
The military operation has since killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, Associated Press reported Gaza’s health ministry as saying.
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