By IANS,
Lucknow : The author and publisher of a controversial textbook, that carries a picture of Prophet Mohammad, were Wednesday arrested in Uttar Pradesh for “hurting the religious sentiments” of people, police said.
Karan Singh, author of Udayimaan Bhartiya Samaj ke Shikshak (Teachers in Emerging Indian Society), and R.P. Singh, owner of Lakhimpur-based Govind Prakashan, were arrested in Lakhimpur, about 100 km from state capital Lucknow. Karan Singh is a retired professor of the Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University in Faizabad district.
“The two were arrested in Lakhimpur district and would be soon produced before a local court,” district police chief Piyush Mordiya told IANS on phone.
He said further action would be taken following the court’s directives.
According to officials, a case under the Section 295 A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has already been registered against the author and the publisher.
Following an uproar among Islamic scholars and the clergy over a picture of Prophet Mohammad in an officially prescribed textbook of Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, officials Tuesday seized about 700 copies of the controversial text books. The textbook is prescribed for the B.Ed course run by the university.
“We carried out raids at the publication house in the Lakhimpur district and seized the copies of the controversial textbook,” said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Avinash.
Meanwhile, Muslim clerics have demanded constitution of a screening committee to check publication of such books in future.