The Barabanki police have booked All India Majlis-e-Itthehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi for allegedly vitiating communal harmony, violating Covid norms and making “indecent” remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The FIR against Owaisi was registered at City police station after his party's rally on Thursday night.
Owaisi was on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh and his party AIMIM plans to contest 100 seats in the upcoming assembly polls in the state in 2022. On Thursday, Owaisi had alleged that there have been efforts to turn the country into a “Hindu Rashtra” since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power seven years back. He also referred to the law against instant triple talaq and mentioned the “plight” of Hindu women, while directing a personal barb at Modi.
"Ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister, efforts are on to demolish secularism and make the country a Hindu rashtra. The BJP leaders talk about injustice against Muslim women subjected to triple talaq but remain mum on the issue of the plight of Hindu women discarded by their men. My bhabhi (prime minister’s wife) stays alone in Gujarat but nobody has an answer for her,” the AIMIM chief had said.
Superintendent of Police of Barabanki, Yamuna Prasad said on Friday, “The Hyderabad MP violated Covid guidelines -- on mask and social distancing -- by arranging huge crowds at the party rally at Katra Chandana. The case was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity on ground of religion, race etc.), 188 (disregarding order of a public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease) and the Epidemic Diseases Act has been slapped against Owaisi.”
"In his speech, the AIMIM chief made statements for vitiating communal harmony and said the 100-year-old Ram Sanehi Ghat mosque was razed by the district administration and its debris was also removed. This is contrary to the fact," the district police chief said.
The old mosque Owaisi referred to was located adjacent to the tehsil premises and opposite the sub-divisional magistrate’s residence. It was demolished on May 17 on the orders of a Barabanki SDM court. Barabanki District Magistrate Adarsh Singh had said the structure was illegal, and the tehsil administration got its possession on March 18. He had said the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had disposed of a petition filed in this connection on April 2, which proved the construction was illegal.
The SP further said, "By his statement, Owaisi tried to vitiate communal harmony and incite feelings of a particular community. He also made indecent and baseless remarks against the prime minister and Uttar Pradesh chief minister.