Jharkhand youth arrested for backing Pahalgam terrorists in social media post

Jharkhand police on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) arrested a youth for posting a controversial message on social media in support of the terrorist responsible for killing 26 civilians in Pahalgam.

He wrote in Urdu on X: ‘Thank you Pakistan, thank you Lashkar-e-Taiba, may Allah keep you happy forever, Amen, Amen. We will be happier if RSS, BJP, Bajrang Dal and media are targeted.’

The arrested accused has been identified as Mohammad Naushad, 31, a resident of Millat Nagar under Balidih police station area in Bokaro district. Balidih police station has taken him into custody and is questioning him.

Ranchi BJP MLA C.P. Singh and former Bokaro MLA Viranchi Narayan were among the first to react to the post. They urged Bokaro Superintendent of Police Manoj Swargiary to take immediate action

Later Balidih police station in-charge Naveen Kumar Singh has confirmed his arrest.

According to the police, an FIR has been lodged against the accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Local BJP leaders demanded that a case of treason be lodged against the accused.

Bokaro City Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Alok Ranjan said, “We have received the complaint about a social media post, and have registered a case against him. Police are checking all his social media accounts. We are also in the process of acquiring all the information related to the accused.”

On the other hand, Mr. Swargiary said that those who play with the law will not be spared, and police are keeping a close eye on anti-national activities.

Pay tribute

Meanwhile, BJP State President and Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Legislative, Babulal Marandi, paid tribute to the people killed in the terrorist incident in Pahalgam and expressed condolences to the families, saying that Jharkhand BJP stands with them in the hour of grief. He added that this is the first terrorist incident in which terrorists have killed innocent and unarmed people by asking their religion, removing their clothes and forcing them to recite Islamic verse (Kalma).

Expressing concern, he said that people with such mentality are present in Jharkhand as well. The Ministers in the Jharkhand government believe that Shariat is above the Constitution. Mr. Marandi was indirectly attacking Jharkhand Minority Welfare Minister Hafizul Hasan Ansari who had earlier allegedly said that Shariat comes first, then the Constitution.

“People in power are saying that Muslims are not in the grave, they are being patient, and if they come out on the streets, there will be carnage. People who speak such language are sitting on the chair of power. They do not have weapons, so they are attacking with statements,” Mr. Marandi said while addressing presspersons at the party office in Ranchi

He asserted that if the battle of issues has to be fought, then there are many ways in democracy, but the language of violence is not acceptable in democracy.