The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday booked Newslaundry columnist and former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student leader Sharjeel Usmani over hate speech targeting Hindus at the recently Elgar Parishad conclave at Pune on 30th January 2021.
The FIR has been registered in Lucknow under IPC 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) along with various sections of the IT Act. Contrary to the previous FIR filed against the radical Islamist in Pune, UP police have also evoked charges of sedition.
BJP leader asks Yogi Govt to take action against Sharjeel Usmani
The FIR came soon after State President of Maharashtra BJP, Chandrakant Patil’s letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking action against Usmani. In the letter dated February 3, Patil accused Maharashtra CM 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 the Hindu community across the country. He wrote that spreading hatred against PM Modi and the Constitution of India was no less than sedition.
The Maharashtra BJP state head had 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.
The FIR was filed based on complaint by Lucknow-resident Anurag Singh’s complaint.
Another FIR filed against Usmani in Pune, Sedition charges not evoked
On Tuesday, an FIR had been filed against Usmani in Pune, after opposition BJP in Maharashtra had accused him of hurting religious sentiments and a BJP member, Pradip Gavade, filed a police complaint. Sedition charges were not a part of this FIR.
He is currently out on bail after he was arrested for his alleged role in the anti-CAA protests that broke out at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus on 15th December 2019