On December 25, Thakur said Hindus have the right to respond to those who attack them and their dignity as she spoke about the killing of Hindu activists.
Huneza Khan | TwoCircles.net
BHOPAL (MADHYA PRADESH) — Police on Wednesday registered a case against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur from Bhopal for her alleged hate speech at a convention on December 25.
The case against her was registered at the Kote police station, based on a complaint by Shivamogga District Congress Committee president H.S. Sundaresh, officials said.
The complaint against the Bhopal MP alleged that she made derogatory remarks against Muslims while speaking at the Hindu Jagarana Vedike’s South Region annual convention.
“Keep weapons at home. Keep them sharp. If veggies can be cut well, so can the enemy's head” : BJP MP #PragyaThakur
This is a open threat coming from a #BJP MP. Yet, I’m sure there will be absolutely no action on her 🙏 pic.twitter.com/QMSMSAquVv
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) December 26, 2022
At the event, Pragya Thakur had said Hindus have the right to respond to those who attack them and their dignity, even as she spoke about the killing of Hindu activists.
“Love jihad, they have a tradition of jihad, if nothing they do love jihad. Even if they love they do jihad in that. We (Hindus) too love, love the god, a sanyasi loves his god,” Thakur said.
“Sanyasi says in this world created by god, end all the oppressors and sinful, if not the true definition of love will not survive here. So answer those involved in Love Jihad the same way. Protect your girls, teach them the right values,” she added.
Thakur also called on Hindus to at least keep the knives in their homes sharp, as everyone has the right to protect themselves.
“Keep weapons in your homes, if nothing else, at least knives used to cut vegetables, sharp…Don’t know what situation will arise when…Everyone has the right to self-protection. If someone infiltrates our house and attacks us, giving a befitting replay is our right,” she said.
According to police, the case has been registered against Pragya Singh Thakur under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, and race) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale and Tehseen Poonawalla, whose Twitter bio describes him as a venture capitalist and political analyst and consultant, on Tuesday had filed complaints against Thakur with Shivamogga MP G K Mithun Kumar for allegedly making “hate speech”.
However, stating that the complaints were received through the mail, the SP had asked them to appear before the jurisdictional police officer for the complaint to be registered.
The duo slammed Karnataka police for summoning them over their email complaints
In his written response to the police summons to appear before an inspector in Shimoga on Wednesday, Gokhale warned that he would move the Supreme Court naming the officer and the district superintendent of police as respondents for failing to register an FIR citing frivolous reasons.
Gokhale accused the police of protecting Pragya Singh Thakur. “Shocking: How @Shivamogga_SP & Karnataka Police are protecting BJP’s Pragya Thakur: Shivamogga Police issued a notice on my complaint for a hate speech FIR against BJP MP Pragya Thakur & have illegally said that FIR can be registered only if I’m physically present,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Poonawalla has authorised district Congress president H.S. Sundaresh to appear before the inspector on his behalf since it was too short notice for him to make the trip from Pune where he is based.
Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said Thakur’s remarks “are a clear example of hate speech and he would move the Supreme Court against her.”
Ramesh said he would file a case against Thakur in the apex court as the police in Karnataka would not act against the BJP MP. Karnataka is currently being ruled by the BJP and the Assembly polls are due in the state early next year.
Huneza Khan is a student and a budding journalist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She tweets @KhanHuneza