The Delhi Police’s special cell on Thursday booked Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Zafarul Islam Khan under sedition charges, two days after he allegedly made “provocative” remarks in his social media posts, Hindustan Times reported.
Joint commissioner of police (special cell) Neeraj Thakur said that a first information report (FIR) has been registered against Khan under Indian Penal Code sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
Zafarul Islam Khan Khan, a leading Muslim intellectual in the country did not comment on the development.
“I have not seen the FIR. I will comment only when I see it or know about it,” he told HT.
The FIR was filed on the complaint of a Vasant Kunj resident. The complaint reached the Lodhi Colony office of the anti-terror squad, special cell, through the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Safdarjung Enclave.
Khan came under attack by Hindutva parties over his post on “persecution” of Muslims in the country.
Khan said that his tweet on April 28 wherein he thanked Kuwait for taking note of the “persecution” of Indian Muslims in the context of the northeast Delhi violence has “pained” some people and it was never his intention.
Khan also accused a section of media of “distorting and fabricating” the content of his tweet. A legal notice has been sent to a news channel in this regard, he said.
Citing the tweet and a Facebook post by Khan, the BJP has demanded his removal from the post of Delhi Minorities Commission chairman. A delegation of Delhi BJP MLAs met Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday and also demanded registration of a case against him.
