4 Muslim clerics booked in Mumbai for hurting sentiments of Shia community

The Mumbai police registered an offence against four Muslim clerics for allegedly hurting sentiments of the Shia community, an official said on Wednesday.

Based on a complaint by a Mumbai-based man, the JJ Marg police on Tuesday registered the case against the four accused hailing from Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kashmir, he said.

"We have registered the FIR after receiving multiple applications. We have asked the complainant to submit the audio/video evidence. No arrest has been made so far. We are conducting a probe into the case," the official from the JJ Marg police station said.

The complainant claimed that one of the accused had in September supported a Pakistan-based cleric as well as hurt the Shia community sentiments, the official said.

The complainant also charged the other three accused with hurting the religious sentiments and speaking against the nation, he said.

The FIR has been registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), the official said.