Hyderabad, June 20 -- An imam in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh was booked by police for allegedly collecting donations for suffering families in Palestine.

A case was registered against Maulana Zaki, who works in the Jama Masjid in Sherkot city, after a local alleged that threats were circulating about a fatwa against those who did not donate.

Zaki has denied making any such threats, but he hasn't been able to give a proper statement owing to his poor health, The Observer Post reported.

Questioning the UP police's discriminatory treatment, local Muslims have rallied around the imam for support. According to them, Hindu-run donation drives see no such persecution. Others expressed confusion, asking what the imam's crime was in as...