State President of Maharashtra BJP, Chandrakant Patil has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking action against Newslaundry columnist and former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student leader Sharjeel Usmani who had given a hate speech targeting the Hindu community at the recently Elgar Parishad conclave at Pune.
https://twitter.com/ChDadaPatil/status/1357009562616819713?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwAccusing Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of not taking any action against Usmani despite the lapse of five days since the incident, Patil said that Usmani’s speech has hurt the sentiments of Hindu community across the country. He wrote that spreading hatred against PM Modi and the Constitution of India was no less than sedition. In his letter dated February 3, 2021, Patil urged CM Yogi to take action against Usmani who belongs to Sidhari in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. He demanded the strictest against Usmani and said that he should be made an example of to discourage people from making hateful comments and insulting the Hindu community.
Usamni booked by Pune police for promoting enmity between different groups
Following constant demands of the Maharashtra BJP leaders, Sharjeel Usmani was finally booked by the Pune police on February 2 for his hate speech against Hindus after a local BJP leader named Pradip Gavade filed a complaint against him. A case was registered by the police against Usmani under section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh assured yesterday that Usmani would be arrested from whatever state he is in.
Sedition case filed against Usmani in Lucknow
A case of sedition has been filed against Sharjeel Usmani at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The FIR was filed at Hazratganj police station on the complaint of one Anuraj Singh who reportedly told the police that he found a video of Usmani’s speech on Internet. Singh accused Usmani of creating hate against the Yogi government, promoting enmity among groups, hurting religious sentiments and conspiring against the government.
The FIR has been lodged under sections 124 A (sedition), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 298 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings) and the relevant sections of the IT Act.
Usmani’s hate speech against Hindus
On January 30, 2021, Usmani had reportedly used derogatory language against the Hindu community during Elgar Parishad held at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch. In his speech targeting Hindus, he had said that the Hindu society was ‘rotten’ to the core. He spoke about the Uttar Pradesh Yogi government and accused it of killing 19 people everyday in encounters in one year, all of whom were either Muslims or Dalits.