HYDERABAD - The cleric who was arrested after an FIR on Friday for allegedly beating his students in a mosque has been released after a local court granted him bail.

The accused Qari Shabbir Ahmed Ansari was granted the bail against a surety of Rs25,000 by civil judge and judicial magistrate IX here on Saturday. Earlier, the police arrested and charged Ansari under section 328-A of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for whacking the students with a thick rubber belt.

The incident's video went viral on the social media and Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and Inspector General of Sindh Police Syed Kaleem Imam took notice.

The Cantonment Police Station registered an FIR against Ansari on the complaint of student Shahzeb's father Ahmed Jan.