SHIVAMOGGA: The Shivamogga police on Wednesday registered an FIR against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur on charges of spreading hate while addressing a convention of Hindu Jagarana Vedike in the city on Sunday. The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by District Congress Committee president H S Sundaresh.
According to the complainant, Sadhvi Pragya’s speech was an open call for the use of arms which could lead to mob violence and lynching against a particular community. The speech has the potential to incite intolerance, hatred and violence, he said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Mithun Kumar GK told The New Indian Express that Sundaresh lodged the complaint which was subsequently registered. Sundaresh said that he has lodged the complaint against Pragya on behalf of political analyst Tehseen Poonawala.
‘S’mogga cops asked me to come in person’
Poonawala on Twitter alleged that he had filed the complaint with Shivamogga police who allegedly asked him to come to Shivamogga to sign the complaint he made. “Anyway, I have authorised Shivamogga Congress president H S Sundaresh to meet Shivamogga SP and file the complaint on my behalf,” he tweeted.
The Kote police, who registered the complaint, invoked sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153B (imputation, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 268 (public nuisance), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs, 298 (uttering words with deliberate intent to hurt the religious feelings of any person), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 508 (causing or attempting to cause anything that a person is not legally entitled to do).
The FIR states Pragya asked people to retaliate against those who indulge in ‘love jihad’. Pragya also asked people to keep weapons at home and if not available sharpen knives used for cutting vegetables.