UP orders probe into videos purportedly showing IAS officer preaching Islam

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe videos purportedly showing Indian Administrative Service officer Mohammad Iftekharuddin preaching Islam at his official residence when he was the commissioner of the Kanpur division (2014-2016).

In a statement, the state home department said criminal investigation department director-general GL Meena will head the SIT while addition director general of police (Kanpur zone) Bhanu Bhaskar will be its member.

Three short video clips of the Iftekharuddin, who is currently the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation commissioner in Lucknow, went viral on Monday.

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Commissioner Asim Arun said the Kanpur Police will also look into the matter. He added additional deputy police commissioner Somendra Meena will inquiry to check the authenticity of the videos that date back to the previous Samajwadi Party rule in Uttar Pradesh.

Bhupesh Awasthi, who complained against the officer, accused Iftekharuddin of asking some people to convert. He added the officer could be involved in religious conversion. “No officer has the right under the service rules to do religious preaching. In this case, he was using the government accommodation.”

Iftekharuddin did not take calls or respond to messages for comments.

The clips surfaced days after the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Muslim cleric Kaleem Siddiqui and his three aides in connection with a case related to conversions of unidentified people in the state.