A private university in Mathura has accused a regional political outfit, the All India Hindu Mahasabha, of cooking up a controversy by falsely claiming that its Kashmiri students offer namaz in the open on the campus every day.

The Yogi Adityanath government had in 2021 banned all religious activities at public places in Uttar Pradesh.

Vivek Srivastava, administrative officer of the Sanskriti University, said some students had indeed offered namaz in the open on the campus a month ago.

“But we spoke to them and the issue was resolved amicably. We also informed the district administration about this through the local intelligence unit of the police at the time,” he said.

“Some people are showing an old video and alleging that namaz is being offered here in the open every day. This is baseless and wrong.”

Mahasabha members held a demonstration at the district collectorate office on Saturday and handed a memorandum to officials alleging the university was facilitating “namaz on the campus”.

“There are 82 Kashmiri students at Sanskriti University. They offer namaz in the open on the campus every day,” Mahasabha treasurer Dinesh Sharma said.

“We want the district administration to stop this immediately or we will proceed to recite the Hanuman Chalisa there as well as at the Idgah mosque in the city.”

A senior university member who sought anonymity told reporters on Sunday: “They are showing an old video in which seven students in the university uniform (white shirt and grey trousers) are seen offering namaz on an open ground on the campus.”

He added: “We are a reputable private university imparting education in engineering, medicine and the humanities in an excellent atmosphere. Some people are trying to derail our purely academic venture.”

A similar controversy had erupted in Lucknow last July when some Muslims offered namaz at a public spot in the then newly opened Lulu Mall. Hindu Mahasabha members had retaliated by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa there. The police arrested some people from both sides. They were later released on bail.