Owaisi Charged With Attempting To Disturb Communal Harmony

Two FIRs have been registered against the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in connection with his public gathering in Barabanki of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, September 9 at the Barabanki city police station. He was booked on the charges of attempting to disturb communal harmony and disrespecting the national flag.

Superintendent of police (Barabanki) Yamuna Prasad told a news agency, "The first FIR against Owaisi and organisers of the public meeting has been registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity on the ground of religion, race, etc.), 188 (disregarding the order of a public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Epidemic Act.”

He further added that, "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 mosque Owaisi was referring to was close to the tehsil's premises and is directly opposite the residence of SDM. On the instructions of a Barabanki SDM court, it was demolished on May 17. The structure was illegal, according to Barabanki District Magistrate Adarsh Singh, and the tehsil government took control on March 18.

He said that the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench had dismissed a plea filed in this case on April 2 that indicated the structure was illegal.

Another FIR was filed later that night against Owaisi and the meeting's organisers for allegedly insulting the national flag by wrapping it around a pole at the dais instead of unfurling it. Owaisi was in Uttar Pradesh for a three-day visit, where his party is planning to contest 100 seats in the next assembly elections.