Bokaro/Darbhanga: A youth originally from Darbhanga, Bihar, was arrested in Bokaro, Jharkhand, on Wednesday for allegedly celebrating the Pahalgam terror attack on social media and congratulating the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan. The arrest comes amid national mourning over the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed over 25 lives, most of them unarmed tourists.
The accused, identified as Mohd. Naushad, was detained from his residence in Makdumpur Millatnagar under the Balidih police station area. According to police sources, Naushad had posted a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) soon after the attack, expressing happiness over the killings and praising the terrorist outfit responsible. The post quickly went viral, triggering outrage and immediate law enforcement action.
A First Information Report (FIR) for sedition and anti-national activity has been filed against him, and a parallel case has also been registered at Sukhdevnagar police station in Ranchi. Authorities in Ranchi Police are preparing to take Naushad into custody for further interrogation.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Naushad operated social media accounts using a SIM card registered in the name of his brother, who currently resides in Dubai. Through this account, police say he routinely shared anti-national content and provocative posts.
Following the viral post, the matter escalated to the Jharkhand Police Headquarters, after which Bokaro SP constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Naushad was apprehended after investigators traced his digital trail.
Now in the custody of the Jharkhand Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Naushad is also being questioned for potential links to the 2013 serial blasts at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, where then-PM candidate Narendra Modi was addressing a rally. The police are probing whether Naushad had any connection with Tahseen Akhtar, the alleged mastermind of the Patna blasts, who also hailed from Samastipur and was reported to have stayed in Bokaro before and after the incident.
Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta said the case is being treated with the utmost seriousness. “We are collecting complete background information on Naushad. Strict and appropriate legal action will be taken,” he said.
