Delhi Police charged several people, including suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, and expelled leader Naveen Jindal for allegedly propagating hate messages in the wake of the controversy over their remarks insulting Prophet Muhammad.
The case was registered on Wednesday by Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit of Special Cell (IFSO), said Deputy commissioner of Police KPS Malhotra, reports NDTV.
The police move comes following a major diplomatic crisis sparked by offensive remarks against Prophet Muhammad made by BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, who has now been suspended, and Naveen Kumar Jindal, the party's Delhi media cell chief, who has also been expelled.
The police filed two FIRs that also include Peace Party chief spokesperson Shadab Chauhan, journalist Saba Naqvi, Maulana Mufti Nadeem from Rajasthan, Abdur Rehman, Gulzar Ansari, Anil Kumar Meena and Hindu Mahasabha office-bearer Pooja Shakun Pandey.
According to media reports, the Police also named All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and hatemonger Yati Narsinghanand who is out on bail in the Haridwar hate speech case.
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"The cases have been registered against those who were posting and sharing messages against the maintenance of public tranquility and were inciting people on the basis of various divisive lines," police said citing various sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to incitement, insult and causing hurt to religious sentiments.
Several countries in the Gulf region and beyond had summoned Indian Ambassadors in the past few days and conveyed their concerns about "growing extremism and hatred” in India and demanded ‘public apology’ from New Delhi for the comments that were considered "Islamophobic."
Delhi police’ IFSO unit said they will probe the roles of social media platforms in disseminating false information with the purpose of causing unrest in cyberspace, which has repercussions on the physical space, thereby undermining the nation's social fabric.
