SHAHJAHANPUR : Tension prevailed in Tilhar in Shahjahanpur district after a youth was accused of sharing a social media post on Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The police said on Wednesday that security has been stepped up in the area of the district.

The accused youth has since been arrested and police personnel have been deployed at his house to prevent any flare-ups.

Superintendent of Police S. Anand said that one Varun Dhawan, a resident of Dabhaura village under Tilhar Police Station, had shared a post related to the Prophet on his social media account on Tuesday evening.

He had picked the post from another social media handle, the SP said.

The accused later deleted the post, which was in Urdu, and also released a video saying he had shared the post by mistake, the police officer said.

The accused also said in the video that his intention was never to hurt the sentiments of any religion, but by then the post had gone viral, he added.

Later, on Tuesday evening, hundreds of people reached the Tilhar Police Station creating a ruckus and demanding that Dhawan be arrested immediately.

Circle Officer (CO) Tilhar, Priyank Jain, said as soon as he received information about the matter, he went to the spot and tried to pacify the people but the size of the crowd kept growing.

More forces were called in at the station and a team was sent to arrest the accused.

Dhawan was taken into custody and sent to another police station in the district, the CO said.

The police officer said the protesters continued to agitate despite the arrest and dispersed only when newly elected municipal chairman Hajra Begum’s husband appealed to them to return to their homes, the CO said.

However, some protesters headed towards Dhawan’s village, forcing police to deploy forces outside his house, he said.

Dhawan has been arrested allegedly for “hurting religious sentiments”. — IANS