Uttar Pradesh: A case has been filed, the Bulandshahr police tweeted.
A Muslim shopkeeper in western Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr was detained after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against him for selling a shoe whose sole had the name 'Thakur' - a so-called upper caste - embossed on it. He was released later and handed over to his relatives late Tuesday night.
The shopkeeper, Nasir, was detained by the police after a complaint by Vishal Chauhan, a leader of a right-wing outfit in the area. Nasir faces serious charges like promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, causing hurt and intentionally insulting someone resulting in breach of public peace. The right-wing leader's complaint also mentions an unnamed shoe company.
"A case has been filed under relevant sections at the concerned police station. The named accused is in the custody of the police and an investigation is on," the Bulandshahr police tweeted on Tuesday before he was released.
The man has been told that he will be called to the police station again, if required, for questioning.
The FIR in the case, accessed by NDTV, says that when the complainant went to Nasir's roadside shop on Monday, he saw a shoe with the word 'Thakur' embossed on its sole. The FIR says that when the complainant objected, Nasir allegedly started abusing and assaulting him.
However, a 58-second-long video from the time of the incident that was shared widely on social media shows a group of men surrounding the shopkeeper. "Am I manufacturing these shoes?" Nasir said. A voice, not in the frame, replied, "Then why have you brought them here?" No assault or abuse can be seen or heard in this video.
Another 36-second-long clip shows policemen outside the shop.
In another tweet, the police appeared to concede that if they had not detained the shoe seller, a lot of people would have "reacted badly".
It is not known which footwear company manufactured the shoes. Sources said it is a prominent company by the same name based out of a city known to be a shoe manufacturing hub. The company has been in operation for 40 years, they said.