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Congress files police complaint against Shah over ‘riots remark’ at Karnataka rally
Karnataka Congress leaders have filed a police complaint against Union home minister Amit Shah for allegedly “spreading hatred” and “attempting to malign” the party with a remark at an election rally.
Karnataka Congress leaders on Thursday filed a police complaint against Union home minister Amit Shah for allegedly “spreading hatred” and “attempting to malign” the party with a remark made at an election rally in Belagavi earlier this week.
During the rally on Tuesday, Shah had said: “If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots.” He also said that the development of the state will be on the “reverse gear” if the Congress formed the government.
Polling in Karnataka is scheduled to be held on May 10. The results will be announced on May 13.
Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, G Parameshwara and D K Shivakumar registered a complaint against Shah and organisers of the BJP rally at High Grounds police station in Bengaluru.
“We have given a complaint against Union home minister Amit Shah for an FIR to be lodged and action to be taken against him for spreading hatred among classes and religions, disrupting the harmony of the peaceful state of Karnataka, committing corrupt practices, knowingly making false statements and attempting to malign the Congress,” Surjewala said.
The party filed the complaint under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 171G (false statement in connection with an election), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of the Indian Penal Code.
Shivakumar said the statements are “very serious” and an “attempt to threaten” voters. “How is it right for Amit Shah who is in such a high position to threaten the people of a state? What kind of democracy is this? So, we have filed a complaint against him,” he said.
In their complaint, the Congress leaders said “the said individuals have committed serious offences which are punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Representation of People Act, 1951.”
“While the BJP’s address continued for well over an hour, the speech given by Shri. Shah was shockingly riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of Indian National Congress by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with a clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms,” the party said.
“These statements, which were widely reported in the media, make two things amply evident; (i) the statements made by Shri. Amit Shah are designed to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community, and are thereby punishable under Section 505 of the IPC and other provisions of the IPC; (ii) the statements indirectly threaten and try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate, thereby being punishable under Section 123 of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951,” it added.
HT reached out to BJP leaders for a comment but did not get one immediately.
