Bharat Mata ki Jai controversy: Cops file status report on complaint against Owaisi

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday filed in a Delhi court the status report on a criminal complaint seeking lodging of FIR against AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi for alleged offences of sedition and causing enmity between different groups.

In the report filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Munish Markan, an official of Karawal Nagar police station said the complainant has not provided it the copy of recording of Owaisi’s alleged objectionable statement.

The report filed by Sub Inspector Manoj Kumar also said complainant Brijesh Chand Shukla, Swaraj Janata Party’s national president, has also not brought any person who had heard the alleged remarks given by the leader.

The court fixed 4 August for further proceedings in the matter.

The complainant said he would take his witnesses and the CD of the alleged remarks to the police station.

The court had earlier directed the police to file the report detailing the action taken on the plea.

The complaint alleged that on 13 March, Owaisi had voluntarily said that “even if somebody puts a knife at me, I will not say ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’” and his expression showed “disaffection and includes disloyalty and all feeling of enmity”.

Earlier, the complainant’s counsel had said the matter comes under the definition of section 124A (sedition) of IPC as the statement made by Owaisi showed his disloyalty and disaffection towards the nation.

The complaint sought a direction to the police to lodge an FIR against Owaisi for the alleged offences under sections 124A (sedition) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc) of IPC.

The plea alleged that the act of Hyderabad MP showed he was not loyal to India and was trying to harm the country’s reputation and his statement comes under the definition of sedition charge.

“…It is correct that our Constitution does not permit to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ but the Constitution also does not allow to say ‘koi meri gardan par churi rakh de tab bhi mai Bharat Mata ki jai nahi bolunga’ (even if somebody puts a knife at my neck, I will not say Bharat Mata ki jai),” it alleged.

The complainant said he had filed the complaint in this regard with the Delhi Police but no action was taken and thereafter, he approached the court.