Ghaziabad (UP), February 16 Taking cognizance of a video clip that has gone viral on social media, police in this Uttar Pradesh district arrested a member of the Hindu Raksha Dal on Monday for allegedly damaging a shrine located near the Hindon river bridge.
The accused, Prince Thakur (25), a resident of the Nandgram area, was purportedly seen in the footage damaging the decades-old shrine situated under the flyover near the Chhath Puja Ghat, police said.
Two others were also with him, but only Thakur was seen in the video damaging the shrine.
In the video circulated on social media platforms on Sunday, the accused is seen kicking and damaging the structure.
The accused himself shared the video on social media, expressing his resentment against what he claimed was an "illegally constructed" shrine.
He also issued a statement along with the clip, asserting that the Hindu Raksha Dal would not tolerate any form of encroachment and threatening further action if authorities do not intervene.
Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP), Sahibabad, Shweta Yadav, confirmed the arrest, noting that such provocative content on social media poses a significant threat to harmony in the society.
"Such acts will not be tolerated," the officer said.
A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections relating to injurious acts against religious feelings and deliberate attempts to outrage religious sentiments, she added.
Thakur has been sent to judicial custody.