Police in Aligarh on Wednesday arrested a Muslim restaurateur on the charge of keeping napkins and tissue papers on which the pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses were printed, two days after Bajrang Dal activists had ransacked the eatery.

Mohammad Saleem, the owner of the decade-old Khwaja Hotel near Ghanta Ghar, got bail after a few hours.

The Bajrang Dal members attacked the restaurant after coming to know that tissue papers and napkins on which “Bharat Mata Ki Aarti” was written along with pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses were being used there.

The restaurant attracts a large number of meat and biryani lovers.

Gaurav Sharma, a local Bajrang Dal member, told reporters: “We came to know about the tissue papers on Monday and raided the restaurant at night. We forced the restaurateur to shut it and organised a protest there.”

An anonymous eyewitness claimed that some people who used to visit the restaurant frequently to have biryani created a ruckus earlier on Monday.

“First they argued over the price of biryani and then asked the owner to remove the tissue papers. Later they ransacked the place. There were over 20 customers at that time and they were forced to leave their half-finished meals,” the witness said.

Sarjan Singh, the circle officer of the area, said: “We arrested Saleem and produced him before a magistrate. He was granted bail from there. But an inquiry is in progress.”

Saleem told reporters: “We don’t manufacture the tissue papers. It comes from different suppliers. But we have removed those controversial tissue papers from our restaurant and will be careful in future.”

Hindutva groups are very active in Aligarh, which houses Aligarh Muslim University where the majority of students are from the minority community.