LUCKNOW: Urdu poet Munawwar Rana was booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police a day after a video went viral wherein he was seen speaking allegedly in ‘support’ of the killings in France over Prophet Mohammed’s caricatures.
The Sahitya Akademi winner was charged under Section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings), 505(1)(b) (punishes those who intent to cause or likely to cause fear or alarm among the public), 505 (2) (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report, with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite offence against any class) of the IPC and the IT Act.
As per the FIR registered by sub-inspector Deepak Kumar Pandey of Hazratganj police station,cognizance was taken of the viral video showing Rana make statement in support of murder in France. The charges are of non-bailable nature.
Rana, however, by his stand over the issue saying he had not said anything wrong. “I said that anyone who intends to mock the Gods or figures worshipped in any religion should be eliminated,” he said, adding that as a worshipper of Maa Saraswati, he was not scared of an FIR.