By IANS
New Delhi : Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the shahi imam of the historic Jama Masjid here, who wanted to meet the prime minister in connection with last week's blast at a Hyderabad mosque, was detained by police for an hour.
Delhi Police picked up Bukhari and 18 others near the Jama Masjid at around 4.00 p.m. and took them to the office of the assistant commissioner of police of Daryaganj area in central Delhi. They were let off after senior police officials questioned them for at least an hour.
"We detained 19 people, including Bhukhari, near the Jama Masjid after they started their protest march to the prime minister's residence. They were questioned for an hour," a senior official said.
Jama Masjid spokesperson Rahat Mohammed told IANS: "Bukhari and others wanted to meet the prime minister to discuss security arrangements at mosques after the blast at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad May 18 killing nine people."
"We also wanted to register our protest against the police firing after the blast, killing five more. We have been seeking a meeting with the prime minister for the past few days but the officials of the prime minister's office (PMO) denied permission," he added.