The Moradabad police Sunday booked Barelvi sect cleric and founder of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council Maulana Tauqeer Ahmed Raza Khan on charges of promoting enmity among sections of people over his criticisms against people who demanded a ‘Hindu Rashtra.’
While addressing a gathering in Moradabad Saturday, Khan had demanded that treason be registered against those raising the demand of a Hindu Rashtra.
The case has been registered against Khan under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place etc), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings if any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity or ill will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“If talking about Hindu nation is okay and the government doesn’t take any action against them, then why are people who talk about Khalistan are being prosecuted?” Khan had asked.
“Those talking about Hindu nation should be prosecuted under the sedition act. If not, the proponents of a Hindu nation will spread hatred and problems and the Muslim community will start talking about a Muslim nation. We will not allow this to happen,” Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan said.
He added that the “government’s double standards would not be tolerated.”
Interacting with the media in Moradabad and Rampur, he also questioned why the bulldozers are targeting only Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.
“Where did those bombs go which used to explode before 2014? If Muslims were then terrorists, then where are those bombs now? Now they should use bombs as they are most tormented now. But Muslims were never terrorists — not then, not today. In reality, those who are sitting in the government used to do all these to terrify the Hindus against the Muslims. Yogi Adityanath says there has been no riot in his government. True, but the actual reason is you only perpetrated all these,” Maulana Tauqeer Raza said.
