A social-media post (by a Muslim student) allegedly insulting Hinduism

What happened

• In the town of Sheeshgarh (in Bareilly district), around 9 p.m. on 18 August 2023, a complaint was made by members of the Muslim community that a 14-year-old Muslim student (Class 9) had posted something objectionable about their religion (Islam) on Instagram.


• The father of a Hindu student says that his son responded to the post with a comment about the Muslim boy’s religion, after being provoked.


• After the first post, the situation escalated: a large crowd (from the Muslim community) gathered and “gheraoed” (surrounded) the Sheeshgarh police station demanding the arrest of the Hindu boy.


• The crowd also went to the Hindu student’s house and pelted stones. The police had to call in reinforcements (Rapid Action Force, Provincial Armed Constabulary, neighbouring stations) and senior officers arrived on the scene.

What the police did

• The local Superintendent of Police (Rural) Raj Kumar Aggarwal said that two minors (one from each religion) were detained late at night on Friday (18 August) after the posts and the subsequent unrest.


• The police said they have video & CCTV footage of the incident and that action is being initiated against those who disturbed peace.


• Additional police force was deployed in the area to maintain law & order.