Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Zafarul Islam Khan was on Friday booked under sedition charges and allegedly promoting enmity on grounds of religion by Delhi police cyber cell, 2 days after his tweet post which led to an uproar on social media.
The FIR was registered on a complaint by a south Delhi resident at ACP Safdarjung office. Joint commissioner of police (special cell) Neeraj Thakur said that a first information report (FIR) has been registered against Khan under Indian Penal Code sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony).
Khan, on Thursday apologized for his tweet saying it was “ill-timed and insensitive” in view of the country facing a medical emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak and that it had “pained some people” but it was never his intention.
In his complaint, the Vasant Kunj resident alleged that on April 28, Delhi Minorities Commission chairperson Zafarul-Islam Khan made a social media post on Twitter and Facebook and the contents of the post are “provocative, intend to cause disharmony and create the rift in the society.”
It also mentioned the name of a fugitive offender against whom a red corner notice has already been issued by Interpol on the request of Indian authorities, which have booked him under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), money laundering and terror-related cases. He has praised the man among others, says the complaint.
Khan had posted a message congratulating Kuwait government on micro blogging site for taking stand against increasing Islamophobia in India. A delegation of BJP legislators on Thursday met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and demanded the removal of Khan from the commission post.
Khan congratulating Kuwait in his post wrote, “The bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage. Names like Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, Iqbal, Abul Hasan Nadwi, Wahiduddin Khan, Zakir Naik and many others are respected household names in the Arab and Muslim world”.
