Two Muslim boys from Bareilly were detained by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday for listening to a Pakistani song, The Times of India reported.
They were also charged with Indian Penal Code sections that provide punishment for hampering national integration, intentional insult and criminal intimidation.
The first information report was filed against the boys based on a video filmed by Uttar Pradesh resident, Ashish. He uploaded it on his social media, asking the authorities to take note of the matter, the police said, according to PTI.
The boys were taken by the police at 5 pm on Wednesday and were detained for the night, according to the family.
Bareilly’s Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan told The Times of India that he cannot confirm whether they were detained for the night, and was told they were brought in for questioning on Thursday morning.
“There is a provision for serving notices in such cases as the authenticity of a video recorded is not verified,” he said. “I will ask a senior cop to monitor the investigation and provide a report.”
The two boys, aged 16 and 17, were listening to Pakistani child actor Aayat Arif’s Pakistan Zindabad song, The Wire reported. The boys’ cousin, Saddam Hussain, said that they had accidentally played the song for less than 40 seconds and even had apologised for it after.
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