BJP leader booked for insulting Kashmiri Muslims, ridiculing religious beliefs

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir police has registered an FIR against a local BJP leader and former lawmaker Vikram Singh Randhawa for making derogatory remarks against Kashmiri Muslims, hurting their religious sentiments and seeking to drive wedge between communities.

Meanwhile, the BJP has served a show cause notice to its former legislator for making an “irresponsible and uncalled for” statement.  

The case has been registered against Randhawa at Jammu’s Trikuta Nagar police station under sections 295-A and 505 (2) Indian Penal Code. These provisions of the IPC cover cases pertaining to “deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs” and where a person by “words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations”, promotes or attempts to promote feeling of enmity, hatred or ill will”.

The FIR has been registered on the basis of a viral video in which Randhawa can be seen and heard as saying that those Kashmiri students who had celebrated India’s defeat against Pakistan in the T-20 World Cup match earlier this month should be skinned alive, their admissions and degrees cancelled, and their citizenship and other rights taken away. He also says that the Pakistani blood runs in the veins of Kashmiris, and they should be beaten and skinned alive for it.

“None of them celebrated Pakistan’s win against another country (Afghanistan). Had their mother died yesterday (that they kept silent)? It is only a win against the Kafirs they celebrate. These Kaṭhamullās (religious bigots) would give divorces on mobile phone before the Triple Talaq law was enforced. They should also say namaz on WhatsApp. Why do they bend themselves and occupy public spaces for it? These Kashmiri girls are seen wearing burqas while in Jammu but in the Valley they take off their wrappers when shouting pro-Pakistan slogans”, he says.

Randhawa’s “unsavoury” remarks evoked widespread outrage in Kashmir with various political, social and religious organizations demanding action as per law against him. After the police’s registering FIR against the BJP leader for hurting religious sentiments of a community and promoting feeling of enmity, some of these parties demanded action also under the relevant provisions of law against him for seeking to incite violence against Kashmiri Muslims.  

Meanwhile, after the BJP’s disciplinary committee served a show cause notice to Randhawa over his making a hate speech, its leaders said that his remarks were irresponsible and uncalled for. The party sources said that the proceedings of a former show cause notice issued for similar reasons are still pending against him.