A case has been registered in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna against poet Munawwar Rana for allegedly comparing Taliban with Valmiki, who wrote Ramayana, under Indian Penal Code’s Sections 505 (2) (public mischief) and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police superintendent (Guna) Rajesh Mishra said the case will be forwarded to the police in Lucknow as the alleged comments were made there. The case was registered on Bharatiya Janata Party Scheduled Caste Morcha general secretary Sunil Malviya’s complaint.
Also Read | Will US compensate loss of Kabul by action on China?
Malviya said by comparing Taliban with Valmiki, Rana insulted Valmiki community and the Hindu religion. “The statement of Rana hurt our religious sentiments.”
Rana told a TV channel that Valmiki “became a God after he wrote the Ramayana, before that he was a dacoit. A person’s character can change. Similarly, the Taliban, for now, are terrorists but people and characters change. When you talk about Valmiki, you will have to talk about his past. In your religion, you make anyone God. But he was a writer, and he wrote the Ramayana, but we are not in competition here.”