Asaduddin Owaisi booked by UP police for allegedly ‘vitiating communal harmony’
Owaisi’s AIMIM is aiming to contest 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections scheduled to be held next year.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi for allegedly causing communal disharmony, making “indecent” remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and violating Covid-19 norms at a rally on Thursday.
Barabanki superintendent of police Yamuna Prasad said that the Lok Sabha lawmaker has been charged under 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) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Epidemic Act.
Prasad said that Owaisi made statements that ‘vitiated communal harmony’. “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 administration and its debris was also removed. This is contrary to the fact. By this statement, Owaisi tried to vitiate communal harmony and incite feelings of a particular community,” the superintendent of police was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
He said that the supporters at the Hyderabad MP’s rally in Katra Chandana flouted social distancing guidelines and did not wear masks. The police said that Owaisi was charged for arranging huge crowds.
Owaisi’s AIMIM is aiming to contest 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections scheduled to be held next year. He kicked off his campaign at Rudauli town in Ayodhya district on Tuesday. He criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Adityanath in the state and also blamed governments led by Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) and Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the “plight of the Muslim community”.
“Muslims constitute 19% of UP whereas Yadav community leader becomes CM though they are mere 9% of the population. The Muslims are denied government jobs. The Muslims in UP are harassed and exploited. They have been denied a share in the power, education and basic facilities. They have been denied justice,” Owaisi said.
He also said that the community is leaderless and no party is interested in addressing the grievances of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. Owaisi claimed that political parties are interested in the Muslim community when elections are declared.