A case has been lodged against expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal in Maharashtra's Thane owing to his remarks on Prophet Mohammed. The case under section 295 (A) (Deliberate &malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been filed against Jindal at Thane's Bhiwandi City police station.
The former Delhi BJP media cell head has been summoned by Bhiwandi Police to appear before them on June 15.
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This is the second case registered against the now-axed BJP leader following the First Information Report (FIR) by Delhi Police. Earlier in the day, Jindal along with suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati were booked by Delhi Police for allegedly spreading hate via their defamatory remarks against the Prophet.
The case in Delhi against the aforementioned persons were lodged by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit of Special Cell, and deputy commissioner of police KPS Malhotra have confirmed the development to HT.
Not just Jindal, but Sharma has also come under the scanner in Thane. A Muslim community delegation has filed a complaint with Thane Police, demanding an FIR be lodged against Sharma over her alleged controversial remarks on the Prophet, an official was quoted as saying by PTI on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}Not just Jindal, but Sharma has also come under the scanner in Thane. A Muslim community delegation has filed a complaint with Thane Police, demanding an FIR be lodged against Sharma over her alleged controversial remarks on the Prophet, an official was quoted as saying by PTI on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}Sharma has already been summoned by the Mumbra police in Thane to record her statement before the investigating officer on June 22. Also, Mumbai's Pydhonie police has filed an FIR against the former BJP spokesperson on May 28 for her comments.
The Narendra Modi government has been facing severe backlash both internally as well as from many Islamic countries, including Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, over Sharma and Jindal's comments on Prophet Mohammed. While Sharma made the statements during a recent TV debate, Jindal's remarks were made in now-deleted tweets.
Responding to criticism from overseas, India stated that the statements were made by “certain individuals” and do not represent the government, which respects all religions.