By IANS
New Delhi : Accusing the government of hurting her religious beliefs with its affidavit on the Ram Sethu issue, Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party president Uma Bharati Saturday filed a police compliant against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and three ministers.
Uma Bharati logged the complaint against Manmohan Singh, Gandhi, Union Shipping and Transport Minister T.R. Baalu, Union Culture Minister Ambika Soni and Law Minister Hansraj Bhardwaj at the Parliament Street police station.
The former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was upset over the government’s affidavit, filed before the Supreme Court and since withdrawn, in which it had said that epics like Ramayana provided no historical proof of Lord Ram’s existence, angering many Hindu groups.
The government was responding to a petition against the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project.
“One sentence used in the affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court in consultation with the prime minister, Sonia Gandhi and other ministers, have hurt my Hindu beliefs. I request police to take legal action against all of them after registering my complaint,” she said in a press statement.
Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi range) Ajay Kashyap told IANS: “We are currently examining the complaint given by Uma Bharati against the prime minister and other senior government functionaries for hurting her religious beliefs over the Ram Sethu issue.
“The Ram Sethu issue is already under judiciary, but there are some provisions under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which allow police to register a case if anyone’s religious feelings are hurt. At present we are taking legal opinion and would act accordingly,” Kashyap added.
Asked if a formal case was being registered, the official said the matter was under consideration and no such decision was taken so far.