Muslim outfit tries to disrupt Iftar party in Lucknow

LUCKNOW - Several members of a Muslim outfit Wednesday tried to disrupt an Iftar party hosted by the American Embassy at a five-star hotel here, police said.

“Under the banner of ‘Hussaini Tigers Lucknow Shia Sangathan’, several people demanded that the party be cancelled. Shouting anti-America slogans, members of the outfit said they would not allow America to host the party for its ‘anti-Muslim activities’,” police inspector K.N. Mishra told reporters here late Wednesday evening.

Later, police detained several members of the outfit as they tried to barge inside the Clarks Awadh Hotel, the venue for the Iftar party.

“Americans have no right to host the Iftar-party as it itself is involved in anti-Muslim activities… we would continue to protest if such a function is organised by America,” a member of the outfit, Shameel Shamsi said in a statement issued here.

Even as the police claimed that no force was used against the protestors, the members of the outfit alleged several of them were injured as police baton-charged them even though they were demonstrating in a peaceful manner.