Lawyer files plea in Bombay HC against Eknath Shinde, Nitesh Rane over alleged Islamophobic remarks
Mumbai: A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane for allegedly making Islamophobic remarks that hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.
The petitioner, advocate Mohammed Wasi Sayed, filed the plea after coming across a video featuring self-proclaimed saint Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, who is accused of making derogatory statements about Prophet Mohammed. The video shows Chief Minister Shinde expressing support for Mahant Ramgiri and warning the police against taking action against him as long as he remains in office. The advocate contends that this undermines the ongoing investigation against the Mahant.
The petition further notes that Nitesh Rane escalated tensions by allegedly threatening, “If anybody says anything against Ramgiri Maharaj, we will enter your mosque and hit you one by one.” Rane is also accused of making derogatory remarks against Muslims, referring to them as “homosexuals.”
According to Sayed, these comments should be viewed as part of a wider pattern of rising Islamophobia in the country. The plea asserts that such statements are intended to polarise voters along communal lines, particularly with the State Assembly elections approaching.
“They started Islamophobic campaigns to divert public attention from routine problems to hypothetical issues," Sayed argued, stressing that such tactics could deepen social divisions.
The petition also raises concerns over a growing trend of online hate speech targeting Muslims, highlighting data that indicates an increase in Islamophobic posts on social media platforms like Twitter/X. Sayed argued that most of this content goes undetected due to being shared in regional languages, which are underrepresented in calculations and sampling.
The advocate emphasised that certain social media users are leveraging Islamophobic content for political and economic gain, leading to dangerous real-world consequences.
Sayed has sought action under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Information Technology Act against Shinde and Rane, along with an order to halt live broadcasts of Rane’s speeches targeting the Muslim community.
The Bombay High Court is expected to hear the petition soon.
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Haryana Congress expels 13 for contesting assembly polls as independents
Chandigarh (PTI): The Haryana unit of Congress on Friday expelled thirteen party leaders for "anti-party activities" over their decision to contest as independent candidates against the party's official picks for the assembly polls.
They were being expelled for six years with immediate effect to curb indiscipline in the party, the Congress said.
Naresh Dhande (Guhla SC seat), Pardeep Gill (Jind), Sajjan Singh Dhull (Pundri), Sunita Battan (Pundri), Rajiv Mamuram Gondar (Nilokheri-SC), Dayal Singh Sirohi (Nilokheri-SC), Vijay Jain (Panipat Rural), Dilbag Sandil (Uchana Kalan), Ajit Phogat (Dadri), Abhijeet Singh (Bhiwani), Satbir Ratera (Bawani Khera-SC), Nitu Mann (Prithla) and Anita Dhull Badsikri (Kalayat) have been expelled as per a party order issued by Congress state unit chief Udai Bhan.
Notably, there were many party leaders who were upset over being denied tickets to contest the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls, but the party had later managed to pacify most of them.
For the Congress, senior leader and former minister Sampat Singh had withdrawn his nomination from Nalwa seat after filing papers while another leader Ram Kishen 'Fauji' also withdrew from the race from Bawani Khera segment.
From Ambala City, former MLA Jasbir Malaur withdrew from the contest against Congress's nominee and former minister Nirmal Singh.
However, Nirmal Singh's daughter, Chitra Sarwara, a Congress rebel, is contesting from Ambala Cantt seat. The party has already taken action against her.
