New Delhi: In Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, a Maulana who allowed reciting of Hanuman Chalisa and Gayatri Mantra inside a mosque for spreading communal harmony and brotherhood, has been sacked.

He has also been removed from the mosque and the Maualan has reportedly left Baghpat with his bag and luggage. He was removed after Muslim groups took a strong exception to recital of Hanuman Chalisa inside the mosque.

On Tuesday, BJP leader Manupal Bansal took permission from Maulana Ali Hassan for reciting Hanuman Chalisa at the mosque in Kekda Police Station area of Baghpat and also posted a video of the same on Facebook.

Bansal, who is a member of the district working committee of the BJP, said that he did this to promote amity and brotherhood. The local police is investigating the matter. Superintendent of Police, Baghpat, Abhishek Singh said that Bansal visited the mosque often and had taken the permission of the mosque’s maulana Ali Hassan so a case could not be lodged.

A few days ago, Faisal Khan, one of the accused who offered namaz at Nand Baba Temple in Mathura was arrested from Delhi’s Jamia Nagar today, reports said. A joint team of Delhi and UP police reportedly arrested one of the accused named Faisal Khan near Jamia Gaffar Manzil while other accused Mohammad Chand is yet to be arrested.

On October 30, the duo had allegedly offered namaaz at the Nand Baba Mandir in Mathura without any permission from the temple authorities.

After which, 4 youths belonging to the Hindu community chanted Hanuman Chalisa and raised Jai Shri Ram slogans at an Idgah in the same district. According to the police sources here, the four youths sneaked into the sprawling Idgah grounds at Govardhan town in the district at around 10 am and recited the hymns, taking the people who were present there by surprise.