The Uttar Pradesh police have booked All India Majlis-e-Itthehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) national president, Asaduddin Owaisi, on charges of attempting to disturb communal harmony and disrespecting the national flag, officials said on Friday.
The two FIRs were registered at Barabanki city police station on Thursday night, soon after Owaisi addressed a public meeting in the district.
Confirming the development, superintendent of police (Barabanki) Yamuna Prasad said, “The first FIR against Owaisi and organisers of the public meeting has been registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity on the ground of religion, race, etc.), 188 (disregarding the 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.”
“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,” the SP said.
The mosque Owaisi referred to was located adjacent to the tehsil premises and opposite the SDM’s residence. It was demolished on May 17 on the orders of a Barabanki SDM court.Barabanki District Magistrate Adarsh Singh had said that the structure was illegal, and the tehsil administration got its possession on March 18.
{{/usCountry}}The mosque Owaisi referred to was located adjacent to the tehsil premises and opposite the SDM’s residence. It was demolished on May 17 on the orders of a Barabanki SDM court.Barabanki District Magistrate Adarsh Singh had said that the structure was illegal, and the tehsil administration got its possession on March 18.
{{/usCountry}}He had said that 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.
Later in the night, another FIR was lodged against the AIMIM chief and organisers of the meeting for allegedly insulting the national flag by wrapping it on a pole at the dais, instead of unfurling.
Owaisi was on a three-day trip to Uttar Pradesh, where his party plans to contest 100 seats in the upcoming assembly polls.