Lulu Mall row: Four arrested for offering namaz, search on for four others

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested four people and is in search of four others for ''unauthorisedly'' offering namaz in the newly inaugurated LuLu Mall here.

Police categorically said none of the accused are staff of the mall.

''Four people were arrested on Tuesday for unauthorisedly offering namaz in a mall. The accused have been identified as Mohammad Rehan, Atif Khan, Mohammad Lokman and Mohammad Noman. All of them are residents of Lucknow,'' Police Commissioner D K Thakur told PTI.

The four were later produced in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ambrish Kumar Srivastava, who sent them to judicial custody till August 1.

Thakur said efforts are on to arrest four others.

An Ayodhya-based seer, Mahant Paramhans, was also detained by police after he tried to enter Lulu mall, Thakur said.

In a video that surfaced on social media, Paramhans is heard saying, ''I was going alone to the mall in a peaceful manner but I was not allowed to go. If this is the centre of jihad or that of terrorism, then do not allow anyone to go (there). I was stopped because I am wearing saffron clothes. This is an insult to saffron while staying in India.'' The Lulu Mall controversy triggered a political slugfest.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took an apparent jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying, ''Now, Manyawar himself is saying that someone is doing politics on the mall.'' ''The public is saying that when the reins are in your hands, then who else can be the architect of this 'satta' power..or else the threads of this power are in someone else's hands,'' he said.

Yadav also tweeted a video of Paramhans, who reached the mall today to ''purify it''.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Yadav charged the SP chief with seeking to derive political mileage in the matter.

He told TV channels that a business centre like Lulu Mall is purely for commercial purposes and no religious activities are allowed there.

The state government has categorically given instructions to law enforcement agencies to initiate action on law and order issues, he said.

The arrest in the namaz incident came after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Monday directed the administration to act tough against such elements hell-bent on vitiating the atmosphere. The incident kicked up a row after a right-wing Hindu outfit objected to the namaz and sought permission to recite the Hanuman Chalisa there. A video of people offering namaz at Lulu Mall had surfaced on social media on July 13. Some members of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha staged a sit-in at the gate of Lulu Mall next day. Shishir Chaturvedi, who claimed to be the national spokesperson of the Mahasabha, had alleged that people belonging to a particular community were being allowed to offer prayers inside the mall. The mall authorities should also allow Hindus and other religions to offer prayers inside the mall, he had said. Sameer Verma, general manager of the mall in Lucknow, in a video statement had said, ''Lulu Mall respects all religions. Any kind of religious work or prayer is not permitted here. We train our floor staff and security staff to keep an eye on such activities.'' Chaturvedi and other members of the right-wing Hindu organisation had lodged a complaint. ''Namaz was offered inside the mall which is against the policy of not allowing prayers in public places. According to the viral news on social media, 70 per cent of the male staff personnel at Lulu Mall are Muslim and 30 per cent female staff are from the Hindu community. By doing this Lulu Mall management is promoting love jihad,'' Chaturvedi had alleged. The mall management in a statement on Monday said, ''All workers we have here are from Uttar Pradesh and also from other parts of the country. Out of which more than 80 per cent are Hindus, and the rest are Muslims, Christians and from other sections.'' On July 15, two persons were arrested by police and at least 15 people detained for creating a ruckus when they tried to enter the mall premises without permission. Lulu Mall, located on the Amar Shaheed Path, Golf City, will be home to some of the biggest brands in India. Catering to the diverse taste of every visitor, the mall houses 15 fine dining restaurants and cafes, and a massive food court with 25 brand outlets that have a seating of 1,600 people. Spread over 2.2 million square feet, the mall will also have a dedicated wedding shopping arena with the choicest jewellery, fashion and premium watch brands.