Case registered for offering namaz without permission at Meerut university

New Delhi: Meerut police have registered a case against a student for offering namaz in public without permission at IIMT University, officials said on Friday.

The incident came to light after student Khalid Pradhan, also known as Khalid Mewati, shared a video on social media, showing students offering namaz on the university campus. The video led to protests from local Hindu organisations.

Following the uproar, the university administration suspended Khalid Pradhan and three security personnel for alleged negligence. Based on a complaint by a person named Kartik Hindu, a case was registered against Khalid Mewati’s Instagram page ‘Khalid Pradhan 302’ under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (BNS) and the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, Ganga Nagar police station in-charge Anoop Singh said.

Local Hindu groups have demanded Khalid’s arrest, alleging that the video was deliberately shared on social media during the Holi festival to provoke unrest.

“An internal inquiry found that offering namaz on campus without permission and making the video viral appeared to be an attempt to disturb communal harmony,” university spokesperson Sunil Sharma said.

Sharma added that the inquiry committee had summoned Khalid to present his side, but he did not appear, leading to his suspension. Three security personnel were also suspended for negligence, he said.