Police have filed a case and launched an investigation after graffiti reading “Muslims are not allowed on this road” was spotted on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway (NH-72A) near Behatigarh in Uttar Pradesh, authorities said on Friday.
They are also verifying the authenticity of a video purportedly showing two young women writing on a railing along the NH-72A flyover using spray paint.
Behatigarh police, where the incident took place, said the words “Yeh sadak musalmanon ke liye nahin hai” were written in Hindi on the side of the road, and the English translation “This road is not allowed for Muslims” was painted on the railing of an elevated railway bridge on the same highway.
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Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sagar Jain told news agency PTI that National Highways Authority of India officials had filed a complaint based on which a case was registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Janata Party Act against unidentified officials of an organization called ‘Hindu Raksha Dal’.
Section 353(2) relates to speech that promotes public mischief or promotes ill will between groups or communities.
Meanwhile, a photo of two young women allegedly writing on the handrail of the elevated section of NH-72A using spray paint went viral on social media. A car with Uttarakhand registered number plates is also seen in the video. Police said they are verifying the authenticity of the video.