By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Lawyer and rights activist Shehzad Poonawalla filed a complaint against Samjwadi Party leader Azam Khan to the Election Commission and the National Commission for Minorities for his “his hate-inciting, communal remarks aimed at polarising the electorate and the Indian Army on religious lines,” and urged immediate actions.
On Monday April 7th 2014, the following remarks, which according to the petitioner is “offensive” and “brimming with vitriol,” were made by UP Minister in a public rally at Ghaziabad as follows:
“Those who fought for victory in Kargil were not Hindu soldiers, in fact the ones who fought for our victory were Muslim soldiers,” and “No Hindu was behind the Kargil win (in 1999). Muslim soldiers chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ clinched the hills of Kargil for India.”
The petitioner has attached the cuttings of newspapers that reported the event.
Poonawala writes, “Being a proud Indian Muslim myself, I can assure you that while it is a matter of great pride that every Indian Muslim soldier is ready to sacrifice his/her life in service to India especially when his motherland is attacked during the time of a war, whilst donning the army uniform and rendering such service, he is neither a Muslim nor a Hindu, he is only and only an Indian soldier. The Indian Army and the valour of its soldiers cannot be compartmentalised into religion in such a negative, derogatory and hate-inciting manner. To celebrate valour of an Indian Muslim soldier can be welcomed but to demean the valour of other Indian soldiers in the process, as has been done by Azam Khan, stinks of communal propaganda of the worst kind.”
He points out that the above remarks, find no basis in fact as many Hindus and Muslims together with soldiers from every region, sect, religion fought this battle of Kargil and conquered victory for India as Indians, adding, “These statements have been made deliberately, maliciously and in flagrant violation of section 153, 153A, 153B, 295A, 505 of IPC 1860 and they are deliberately, intentionally and maliciously calculated to incite hatred/ill will between communities, offend and insult sentiments and cause public mischief. These statements are only demonstrative of a cheap gimmick by Azam Khan to polarise the Indian Army and the electorate and reap narrow, sectarian political dividends by fanning hatred and counter-hatred. These statements made by a Muslim fanatic Azam Khan invite for reactions from Hindu fanatics and can lead to serious vitiating of the communal amity between different communities.”
He added that Azam Khan has also violated the model code of conduct and hence EC should take necessary actions and at the same time an FIR should be filed against him for making inciting statements.