A man has been arrested for offering namaaz in a temple, where he had been working for close to 35 years, in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, said the police.The matter came to light after a three-month-old video of the man praying in the temple located in Papad village in Badaun’s Dataganj went viral.
Ali Mohammad, who was working as a cleaner in the Brahmadeva temple, has apologised for his act.
“Safai karke, gobar karke, hum wahan pe padhne large, sahab. Humse galti hui hum, maafi chahte hain (After cleaning, I offered namaz. I made a mistake. I apologise, sir),” he told the cops.
“Issey pehle kabhi padhi hai (Have you done this earlier as well)?” the cop asked him during interrogation.
“Na, na (No, no),” he said, adding he was told by someone that since you work here, you might pray here.
The cops confirmed that the man was arrested for offering namaaz.
“A person was offering namaaz at a temple whose video went viral. A case has been filed against him and he has been arrested,” said police officer KK Tiwari.
The family has played down the incident, saying it is nothing.