The Hyderabad police on Thursday lodged a criminal case against Congress leader Digvijaya Singh over his alleged remarks that the Telangana police has set up a ‘bogus’ Islamic State website to radicalise Muslim youths and encourage them to join the terror outfit.
Based on a complaint by Telangana Rashtra Samiti MLA M Gopi Nath from the Jubilee Hills constituency, accusing the All India Congress Committee general secretary Singh of defaming the police through his comments, a case was registered against him under the relevant Indian Penal Code sections, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Banjara Hills Division) Uday Kumar Reddy said.
Inspector S Venkat Reddy of Jubilee Hills police station said Singh has been booked under IPC sections 505(1), (1)(b) and 505(2) for making the alleged statements, intended to cause or likely to cause public fears or alarms and inducing people to commit an offence against the state or public tranquillity or to create or promote ill-will between the two classes of people.
Earlier this week, Singh, in-charge of the Congress affairs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, had kicked up a row with his comments on the Telangana police, drawing sharp reactions from the ruling TRS and Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma.
On May 1, Singh in a post on his Twitter page, had said ‘Telangana police has set up a bogus ISIS site which is radicalising Muslim youths and encouraging them to become ISIS modules’.
‘The issue is whether the Telangana police should be trapping Muslim youths in becoming ISIS modules by posting inflammatory information? (sic)’
‘Is It ethical? Is it moral? Has KCR (Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao) authorised the Telangana police to trap Muslim youths and encourage them to join ISIS? If he has, then shouldn’t he own up the responsibility and resign? If he hasn’t, then shouldn’t he enquire and punish those who are responsible for committing such a heinous crime? (sic)’ Singh had said in a series of tweets.
Following Singh’s remarks, the Telangana government had asked Singh to either prove his allegations or tender an apology. The government too had warned Singh of actions ‘as per the law’ if he failed to apologise.
While denying Singh’s allegations against the police, Telangana director general of police had earlier said the Congress leader’s comments would demoralise the police force and lower the image of its personnel engaged in fighting the anti-national forces.
Complaints were also lodged against Singh at Saroor Nagar police station in the city and at another one in Karimnagar district of the state.
Earlier in February this year, the Dabeerpura police in Hyderabad had registered a case against Singh under section 295 A of the IPC allegedly for committing a deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage the religious feelings of a class of citizens by insulting their religion or religious beliefs.
This case was registered over his alleged post about the madrassas (seminaries) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-run Saraswati Sishu Mandirs.
In his post on a social networking site on February 22, Singh had allegedly equated the schools run by the madrassas and RSS, saying both spread ‘hatred’.
