E-Paper
Prophet’s photo in book, fir against author in UP
A picture of Prophet Mohammed in a book has sparked a controversy in Uttar Pradesh.
A picture of Prophet Mohammed in a book has sparked a controversy in Uttar Pradesh.
It began when some Muslims discovered that the book – Udayaman Bhartiya Samaj Mein Shikshak (meaning, The Teacher in India’s Progressing Society), taught in some colleges in the state—carried a picture of the Prophet on page No. 403.
No picture of the Prophet exists and Muslim organisations feel that by publishing the picture, Dr Karna Singh Kushwaha, the Lakhimpur-based retired lecturer and author of the book, has hurt the sentiments of their community. The book has been published by Govind Publishers, Lakhimpur, 135 km north of Lucknow.
UP’s higher education secretary Kamran Rizvi said, “An FIR had been registered against the author and orders have been issued to seize copies of the book.”
Author Kushwaha told the district magistrate of Lakhimpur he had downloaded the picture from the Internet., “I never meant to hurt anyone’s sentiments,” he said.
