Noida, 28 July: According to police, a FIR has been filed against Aam Aadmi Party main spokeswoman Priyanka Kakkar on the allegation of BJP spokesman Shehzad Poonawala, who accused her of uttering communal statements during a discussion on a TV news channel.
Poonawala filed a police complaint alleging that Kakkar called him “Mujahideen,” attacked his faith, and made “extremely communally loaded” statements during a July 25 TV discussion on a private channel. “In the past, she has made such comments on-air and off-air against my faith, against Islam, and against Muslims in general, such comments only reflect the poisonous and hate-filled mindset of the Aam Aadmi Party towards Muslims,” Poonawala claimed in a police complaint filed on Thursday.
In response to the claims, Kakkar questioned if “Mujahideen” or “Shehzad” meant “terrorist” and chastised Poonawala for referring to a chief minister as a “Jihadi.” “Does ‘Shehzad’ refer to a terrorist? Does the term ‘Mujahideen’ refer to terrorists? Is ‘Shehzad Mujahideen’ a terrorist term? Is it permissible for the plaintiff to refer to a Chief Minister as a ‘Jihadi’ in national media? The Complainant’s prior behaviour. Is it acceptable to refer to a political opponent as ‘Shishu’?” Kakkar responded to Poonawala’s comment on Twitter.
?@Shehzad_Ind Long battle, dude. Tough questions to answer,” the AAP spokeswoman remarked in the same tweet. “An FIR has been lodged at the Sector 20 Police Station under relevant provisions of the law,” stated Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Harish Chander.
The situation is being investigated further. Kakkar has been charged with violating provisions of the Indian Penal Code 153A (promoting enmity between various communities), 153B (imputations detrimental to national integration), 295A (deliberate and malicious conduct designed to offend religious emotions), and 505 (public mischief).
