Ready to pay Rs 51cr reward to Charlie Hebdo attackers: Yakoob Qureshi

Whoever dare show disrespect for Prophet will invite death like the cartoonists and journalists of Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Haji Yakoob Qureshi has said.

Whoever dare show disrespect for Prophet will invite death like the cartoonists and journalists of Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Haji Yakoob Qureshi has said.

“Rasul ke ashiq unhe saja de dete hai (followers of Prophet punish them),” the former Uttar Pradesh minister told HT on Thursday, reacting to Islamic clerics’ views that the religion had no place for violence.

“Those who dare insult Prophet Mohammed deserve death and there is no need to initiate legal procedure against them.” The Meerut-based leader said the Prophet spread the message of peace and love.

Late on Wednesday, he had maintained the same line with journalists who sought his reaction to the attack on the magazine.

Qureshi had hit the headlines in 2006 after declaring a reward of Rs 51 crore for anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonist who had created a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. He had made the offer at a public rally in Meerut.

Reacting to , Qureshi said he was ready to pay the reward money to the attackers. “I am ready to pay the money if they come and demand the declared reward.”

Qureshi’s statement is likely to come under police glare. Uttar Pradesh additional director general (law and order) of police Mukul Goel said, “We can initiate action against him only after examining his statement under the purview of law.”

Four of France's most famous cartoonists were among the dozen people murdered Wednesday when gunmen attacked the Paris offices Charlie Hebdo.

The magazine gained notoriety in February 2006 when it reprinted cartoons of Prophet Mohammed that had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten.