Dadri Police recommends FIR against Mahesh Sharma, Sangeet Som, Naseemuddin Siddiqui

A report filed by the police with the District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar district on Tuesday recommended filing of FIRs against Mahesh Sharma, Sangeet Som and Naseemuddin Siddiqui.

Lucknow: Trouble appears to be brewing for Union Minister Mahesh Sharma and rabble-rouser BJP MLA Sangeet Som with UP Police seeking action against them for alleged violation of prohibitory orders in Bishada village where a 50-year-old Muslim was killed on rumours of his family eating and storing beef last week.

A report filed by the police with the District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar district on Tuesday recommended filing of FIRs against the two leaders and also against BSP leader and former Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Superintendent of Police (SP Dadri Rural), Sanjay Singh said that they have sent a report to the Uttar Pradesh Government against the above three people for violating prohibitory orders. 

"We have sent a report against Mahesh Sharma, Sangeet Som and Naseemuddin Siddiqui. A case has also been registered against Hindu Rakshak Dal under Section 153 A for inflammatory speech. We have not recommended any action against Rahul Gandhi and Assaduddin Owaisi," Singh said.

"We have recommended a case against Mahesh Sharma for violating Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)," he added

Section 144 of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to prohibit an assembly of more than ten people in an area.

The report filed by the police with the district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar district has also recommended filing of FIRs against Sharma, Som and Siddiqui.

Two main accused in the Dadri lynching case, Shivam and Vishal, were arrested on Saturday, raising the total number of accused in the case to eight.

Several prominent political leaders from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have visited Dadri in the last few days to meet the victim's family.

On Thursday, Mahesh Sharma had described the lynching of 50-year-old Mohammad Iqlakh as an "accident" and said that no "communal colour" should be given to it, even as the family of the victim is planning to move out of the village fearing that it may happen again.

Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Tourism and BJP MP from Noida, had said: “This (incident) should be considered as an accident without giving any communal colour to it.”

Furthermore, controversial BJP MLA Sangeet Som on Sunday visited Dadri and had attacked the state government, alleging it was appeasing the minority community and innocent people were being framed for lynching of a man over beef eating rumour.

Som, who was accused of making inflammatory speeches during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots, alleged that state government was acting in a biased manner like it did during violence in western Uttar Pradesh two years ago and was shielding those who had "slaughtered cow".

"Like they had taken the accused in Muzaffarnagar riots in a plane, they have taken those who have slaughtered cow in a plane. Even when a person is killed, they have different set of rules. Sanjay Rahul Yadav was shot in the incident, but is anyone aware. Did the government help him," Som told reporters as the victim Ikhlaq's family met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Sunday.

The UP lawmaker's remarks came even as BJP leader and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the incident should not be given communal colour or politicised. Som questioned why the state government had allowed AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi to visit the village and spread "communal frenzy".

"A person like Owaisi was allowed to come here from Hyderabad. Is the Samajwadi Party government colluding with him? A person from Hyderabad comes and is able to make such statements. Is it not the weakness of the government? This government is trying to appease a particular community," the MLA said.

Questioning the arrests in the lynching case, he said, "We don't want that those guilty of murder should not be tried but the government should stop framing the innocent.

(With Agency inputs)