BSP leader offers reward to Charlie Hebdo killers

Former Uttar Pradesh minister and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Haji Yakub Qureshi on Thursday courted controversy when he sought to defend the terror attack on French satiricial magazine Charlie Hebdo, saying whoever shows disrespect to the Prophet will invite death.

"Prophet Mohammad had conveyed a message of peace to the entire world and if anyone makes certain cartoons on him will invite death such as the cartoonists and journalists in Paris," Qureshi said in comments that came at a time when the massacre came in for all-round condemnation across the world.

Qureshi, however, denied reports in which he was stated to have said that he will reward the attackers who killed Charlie Hebdo's Editor and cartoonist of the controversial Prophet poster with Rs 51 crore.

"I have not made any such announcement regarding the attack in Paris," he claimed. Four of France's most famous cartoonists were among the dozen people killed on Wednesday when gunmen attacked the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo.

Reacting to the statements by Qureshi, Uttar Pradesh's Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) A Satish Ganesh said if anything like this has been stated then action will be taken by authorities.

"In our country no one has the right to violate law and order. If anything like that has been stated we will take action. No one will be allowed to violate the law and order," Ganesh said. The top police officer, however, said he was yet to see the statement.

In 2006, Qureshi had stoked a huge controversy when he declared a reward of Rs 51 crore for anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonist who had created a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. He had made the offer at a public rally in Meerut.

Image: A woman cries during a vigil to pay tribute to the victims. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters