Shravasti (UP), March 20 Four people were arrested here on Friday for allegedly dumping leftover non-vegetarian food in a freshwater drain near a temple associated with an ashram, police said.
The incident took place near the Sonpathri Ashram Temple in the Sirsia area, they said.
In a video statement, Circle Officer Satish Kumar Sharma said a written complaint was lodged on March 19 by Hari Sharnanand, who heads the ashram.
According to the complaint, on the evening of March 17, an iftar party was organized near a freshwater drain adjacent to the temple, where non-vegetarian food was served.
After the iftar, the organizers allegedly threw the leftovers into the drain, from which the ashram obtains water for cooking, drinking, and washing idols.
When this was objected to, the organizers allegedly issued threats, the complaint stated, adding that the act hurt religious sentiments.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Sirsia police station under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to promoting enmity and disharmony.
The four accused – Jamal Ahmad, Irfan Ahmad, Imran Ahmad, and Zaheer Khan, all residents of Mahru Murtiha village under the Hardattnagar Girant police station limits – were arrested on Friday to maintain law and order, CO Sharma said.
In a related development earlier this week, 14 people were arrested in Varanasi after a video purportedly showed them consuming chicken biryani during an iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga river.
They were booked on charges of hurting religious sentiments and defiling a place of worship, based on a complaint filed by a local BJP Yuva Morcha leader.