The Pydhonie police on Wednesday registered an FIR against television news anchor Amish Devgan for hurting religious sentiments by referring to Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti in derogatory terms during a programme.
Mr. Devgan, on his show on 15 June, had used the term ‘Lootera Chisti’ (‘Chisti the robber’), inviting furious reactions from the Muslim community throughout the country.
According to the Pydhonie police, the FIR was registered based on a complaint given by the Raza Academy on Tuesday. After a written complaint was submitted, the police recorded a statement from Raza Academy general secretary Arif Razvi and registered the offence on Wednesday evening.
“The case was registered in the evening at 6.30 p.m. and further course of action is being decided by the investigating officer. Necessary action will be taken after the video of the show in question is analysed,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Rajiv Jain said.
Mr. Devgan had on Tuesday tendered an apology on Twitter, saying that he was actually referring to Mughal ruler Alauddin Khilji but instead ended up naming Chisti, also known as Khwaja Gareeb Nawaaz (benefactor of the poor). Mr. Devgan also said in his tweet that he has himself sought the saint’s blessings in the past.
The police have booked Mr. Devgan for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony under the Indian Penal Code.
“Raza Academy chief Muhammad Saeed Noori thanks the Mumbai Police for understanding the seriousness of the issue and getting the FIR registered immediately. He also urges the Mumbai Police Commissioner to immediately act upon the FIR and arrest the slanderer for promoting hatred amongst communities and hurting the sentiments of millions of Muslims worldwide,” Mr. Razvi said.
