A day after the Gurugram Police registered a First Information Report against former Rajya Sabha member Mohammad Adeeb and two others based on “unsubstantiated” media reports, the Muslim cleric booked in the case denied having issued any statement to the press with regard to building of a mosque and demanded quashing of the case.
Gurugram Police spokesperson Subhash Boken said the case was registered based on the complaint as received and the veracity of the allegations would be examined during the course of the investigation. “It is a legal process. Both parties would be asked to join the investigation to ascertain the facts of the complaint,” said Mr. Boken.
Mufti Mohammad Saleem Qasmi, president, Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, Gurugram, who has been named in the FIR, in a written application to the police on Thursday, said he had not issued any statement to the press or in the public domain saying that a mosque would be built in Sector 40.
‘Police assurance’
“I called on senior police officers and objected to the registration of an FIR without any preliminary investigation based on a media report. The officers assured me that they would look into the matter,” said Mr. Qasmi.
Complainant Dinesh Bharti, founder, Bharat Mata Vahini, had given a complaint to the police referring to media reports that the accused had plans to build a mosque on government land. Following the complaint, a case had been registered against Mr. Adeeb and the two others on charges of provoking with an intent to cause rioting.
“I was alerted by media reports about their plans to build a mosque on government land. So I gave a complaint to the police. However, there is no unauthorised construction on the two sites so far,” said Mr. Bharti, who too faces criminal charges for allegedly disrupting namaz in the open. He, however, claimed that a local resident had seen members of the minority community assemble at one of the sites at night.
Maulana Abdul Hasim Kasmi, who has also been booked in the case, denied having issued any statement to the media regarding building of a mosque.
“The police should have verified media reports and the complaint before hurrying with the registration of the case. I have not issued any statement to the press,” said Mr. Kasmi.
