Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Kishanganj leaders of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have filed a case against Union Minister Giriraj Singh for his hate speech targeting Muslims during his recent yatra in Bihar.
Engineer Aftab, general secretary of Bihar AIMIM, confirmed that a case was filed by the leaders of his party against Singh for his recent statements. However, the case has not been filed by the party but leaders have done it at their personal level.
“The complaint is related to the objectionable words he used during his speeches. He made provocative hate speeches during his yatra taken from Bhagalpur to Araria. He said many things about the region. He claimed that Hindus are not safe and are not able to live peacefully in the region. Bangladeshis have settled in the area,” said Aftab while speaking to Clarion India.
The complaint was filed by AIMIM leader Imtiaz Alam on Thursday under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 196,197, 299, 302, 61(2), 153(A), 153(B), 295 (A), 298, 120 (B) over the statements made by Singh in Kishanganj on 22 October.
After filing the case, AIMIM local leader Shams Agaaz said that he has no objection to Singh’s attempt to unite Hindus but to the misinformation given in his speeches about the district.
“He remarked that the houses of the Hindus are vandalised and demolished in areas where they are in fewer numbers. He (Singh) claimed that a temple was vandalised and Hindus were not allowed to worship. This is a provocative statement. Unity is a different thing but giving misinformation is wrong. This is a criminal act,” Agaaz told media personnel.
“If a person is a citizen of India and you declare him a foreigner because of his religion and caste. This is a crime. We also filed a case against him under this section,” he added.
The AIMIM leader sought action against Singh after ordering a probe into his act.
On 18 October, Singh, who is often accused of making inflammatory remarks targeting Muslims, had led a Hindu Swabhiman Yatra from Bhagalpur. The yatra passed through Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar and Ariaria, the districts which have a sizable share of the Muslim population in Bihar. The five-day yatra witnessed inflammatory and hate speeches. The statements made by Singh and Araria MP Pradeep Kumar Singh have drawn widespread condemnation.
Singh had once said if a Muslim slaps you once, you should slap him a hundred times. He urged Hindus to take up arms to deal with the enemies.
Araria MP had said that if anyone wants to live in Araria, he has to become a Hindu.