Owaisi booked in UP for allegedly harming communal harmony, going against Covid norms

An FIR has been lodged against All India Majlis-e-Itthehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki after his party's rally's in which the leader allegedly made "indecent" comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

UP Police has booked the AIMIM chief for allegedly harming communal harmony and violating Covid norms apart at the rally. The FIR was also lodged against Owaisi's alleged comments against PM Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The FIR was lodged on Thursday night at Barabanki city police station after the rally.

IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity on ground of religion, race etc.), 188 (disregarding order of a public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease) and the Epidemic Act have been slapped against him, Superintendent of Police, Barabanki, Yamuna Prasad said.

He said the Hyderabad MP violated Covid guidelines  on a mask and social distancing by arranging huge crowds at the party rally at Katra Chandana Thursday.

"In his speech, the AIMIM chief made statements for vitiating communal harmony and said the 100-year-old Ram Sanehi Ghat mosque was razed by the administration and its debris was also removed. This is contrary to the fact," the SP said.

"By this statement, Owaisi tried to vitiate communal harmony and incite feelings of a particular community. He also made indecent and baseless remarks against the PM and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister," he said.

Owaisi was on a three-day trip to Uttar Pradesh, where his party plans to contest 100 seats in the upcoming assembly polls.

In a scathing attack on PM Modi, Owaisi had Thursday alleged there have been efforts to turn the country into a "Hindu Rashtra" since he came to power seven years back.

Criticising the triple talaq law, Owaisi said, "BJP leaders talk about injustice against Muslim women subject to talaq but remain mum on the issue of the plight of Hindu women discarded by their men."