Shia cleric denies role in Chandrashekhar Azad's Bharat Bandh

Lucknow: Shia Muslim body 'Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind', has refuted reports that its General Secretary Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi had any role in the Bharat Bandh call given by Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad for Sunday.

The clarification comes in the wake of the Maulana's name being linked to the Bharat Bandh call.

A statement issued by the organisation states that the leading Shia cleric, who holds wide sway over the community, has not given a Bharat Bandh call for February 23 as claimed in some quarters. It also states that he did not have any kind of advisory role in the planning of the shutdown.

Sunday's Bharat Bandh call by the Bhim Army saw protests in several places, with some violence being reported from Delhi and Aligarh.