Maharashtra ATS arrests maulana who allegedly instigated youth to stab constable over beef ban

The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) on Sunday arrested arrested a Muslim religious preacher who was allegedly involved in indoctrinating youths to engage in anti-national activities and wage ‘jihad’ or holy war against the state. [caption id=“attachment_2493146” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Maulana Hafiz Mujibar Rehman alias Salim Malik was arrested from Mendhiya Masjid in Yavatmal district in Maharashtra, according to The Times of India. The report notes that Malik had links with men called Abdul Malik Abdul Razzaq, and his name had cropped up during Razzaq’s interrogation. Razzaq was arrested on 25 September after he had repeatedly stabbed a constable as a sign of protest against the beef ban imposed by the Maharashtra government, according to The Indian Express. “Tumhari government beef ban karti hai, toh yeh lo (Your government bans beef, so take this),” Razzaq had said while stabbing the constable, according to the report. After Razzaq’s arrest, the ATS had also said that it was on the lookout for a local priest from Yavatmal who was suspected to have instigated the youth to stab the constable. A report in The Asian Age confirmed the suspicion that Malik had been instigating Razzaq as it said that Razzaq, in his confessional statement, had said that Malik “was filling his ears against the government on various subjects, including how the beef ban was infringing on their rights”. The report even said that Malik had been in touch with Razzaq for two or three years and that Malik was actually a part of bigger system of terrorism in the country. Moreover, police strongly suspected that Malik was planning to send Razzaq to Afghanistan via Bangladesh so that he could get Al Qaeda-level arms training.