Prophet row: Owaisi, Nupur Sharma booked for spreading hate messages on social media

Among those named in the FIR, registered by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell, are also senior journalist Saba Naqvi and priest Yati Narsinghanand.

New Delhi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and former BJP functionaries Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal have been booked by Delhi Police for allegedly spreading messages on social media of hate, inciting various groups and creating situations that are detrimental to the maintenance of public tranquillity, PTI news agency reported on Thursday (June 9, 2022) 

Among those named in the FIR, registered by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) unit of the Special Cell, are also senior journalist Saba Naqvi and priest Yati Narsinghanand.

"We have registered 2 FIRs under appropriate sections on the basis of social media analysis against those trying to disrupt public tranquility & inciting people on divisive lines. One pertains to Ms Nupur Sharma & other against multiple social media entities," Delhi Police said.

"Even as Notices are being sent to social media intermediaries for details of those behind these accounts/entities, Delhi Police appeals to everyone to desist from posting anything that may disrupt social and communal harmony," Police said on Twitter.

The cases have been registered under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, news agency PTI reported.

The FIR is against several individuals cutting across religions, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) KPS Malhotra was quoted as saying by PTI.

"The unit will investigate the roles of various social media entities in promoting false and wrong information with an intention to create unrest in the cyberspace and that have ramifications on the physical space thereby compromising with the social fabric of the country," Malhotra said.

Even as Notices are being sent to social media intermediaries for details of those behind these accounts/entities, #DelhiPolice appeals to everyone to desist from posting anything that may disrupt social and communal harmony.#DelhiPoliceCares

— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) June 9, 2022

This comes amid the row over the suspension of BJP leader Nupur Sharma for her alleged controversial religious remarks on a TV debate.

Earlier on Sunday, the BJP had suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi unit media head Naveen Kumar Jindal over their alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Controversy over Sharma's comments, made in a TV debate nearly recently, and Jindal's now-deleted tweets escalated further with protests from some Muslim countries. It had also sparked a Twitter trend calling for a boycott of Indian products in some Arab countries.