Firangi Mahali escapes unhurt as shots fired

LUCKNOW: Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali reportedly had a narrow escape when four youths opened fire on him near Aishbagh Idgah under Bazarkhala police station on Monday.
An aide of the cleric, Rizwan, talking to TOI, categorically said that the cleric was fired at. However, SP (west) BP Ashok, when contacted, denied any firing, although he said that a case has been registered against four youths.
The SHO Bazarkhala also confirmed that a case of attempt to murder has been lodged against four youths.
Rizwan said one of the youths manhandled the cleric while another opened fire. The security personnel of the cleric immediately caught one of the youths and handed him over to the police.
Other youths fled the spot. The youths were identified as Aftab, Abuzar Kidwai, both residents of Saadatganj; Ahmed Hasan, while the fourth one is unidentified.
No arms were recovered from the possession of Aftab. Rizwan Ahmed said that Abuzar, who was driving the scooter, might have taken the arms with him.
According to the complaint lodged at Bazarkhala police station, the cleric was coming out from the Idgah after offering namaaz at around 7.30pm on a four-wheeler, when some youths opened fire at him. However, he escaped unhurt in the attack.
The cleric said that earlier too his rivals had tried to defame him by distributing pamphlets against him and added that this attack could have been carried out at the behest of his rivals.
District magistrate Anil Sagar and DIG Rajeev Krishna, late in the night, met the cleric and took stock of the situation.
On hearing the news of attack, thousand of cleric’s supporters assembled at Idgah to enquire about his well-being.