Three people were arrested on Friday morning on charges of conspiring to kill Shia Waqf Board Chairman Wasim Rizvi, allegedly on the behest of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Delhi DCP Special Cell told reporters.
In January, Rizvi had received a life threat call, allegedly from gangster Dawood Ibrahim's henchman, threatening to eliminate him and his family if he did not withdraw his statements on madarsa and apologize to Muslim Ulemas.He had filed a complaint with call records to the police after the alleged threat.
Rizvi off late has made remarks that have not gone down well with several fringe groups. On March 19, Rizvi had written to Congress President asking him to support the government over the construction of a Ram Temple on the disputed territory in Ayodhya.
"Rahul Gandhi should prove the love for his country and love for God and the Congress should support the Indian government to build the temple of Lord Ram at his birthplace (said to be in Ayodhya) and Masjid-e-Aman be constructed in Lucknow," said Rizvi in a statement released.
He even lashed out at groups who were against the construction of the Ram Temple, saying that such groups should go to Pakistan. "Those who want to spread Jihad in the name of the mosque must go and join the forces of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS chief," Rizvi said.
He alleged that fundamentalist Muslim clerics are trying to destroy the country and they must migrate to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Reacting to Rizvi's remarks, Shia clerics demanded his arrest for trying to communalise the atmosphere.
He had even sent letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath requesting them to scrap Madrassa system of education for Muslim students in the state and the country.Rizvi said that madrassas in the country are major sources of churning terrorists. "Some of the known Pakistan and Afghan terrorists are products of Deobandi madrassas which are endorsed by Muslim hardliners promoting separatism and radicalisation of Muslim community in the country," he said in a five-page email to the Cabinet Secretary and Chief Secretaries of all state governments.
