UP ATS Arrests Scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui on Religious Conversion Charges

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan called his arrest a political move and attacked the BJP.

Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui. Image used for representational purposes. 

Photo: The Quint Hindi

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad on Tuesday, 21 September, arrested Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui from Meerut on charges of alleged religious conversions. The Maulana is the President of Global Peace Center and also the President of Jamiat-e-Waliullah.

"UP ATS has arrested Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, in connection with India's largest religious conversion syndicate busted by the ATS. He runs Jamia Imam Waliullah trust that funds several madrassas for which he received huge foreign funding," the police said, according to ANI.

The police arrested the Maulana on Tuesday night when he was returning to his native Muzaffarnagar after attending a function.

ANI quoted Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order), Prashant Kumar, saying, "Investigation shows Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui's trust received Rs 3 crore in foreign funding including Rs 1.5 (crore) from Bahrain. Six teams of ATS have been formed to investigate this case."

Uttar Pradesh ATS Inspector General GK Goswami said the syndicate had "converted around 1000 people in India," reported ANI.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan called his arrest a political move.

"Famous Islamic scholar Maulana Kalim Siddiqui Sahab has been arrested ahead of the elections in Uttar Pradesh. The atrocities on Muslims are increasing. The silence of secular parties on these issues is giving more strength to the BJP. How much more will BJP fall to win the UP elections?" Amanatullah Khan asked on Twitter.

(With inputs from ANI)