The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday registered a case against senior Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya and nine others in relation to a case of burning of photocopies of Hindu holy book Ramcharitmanas. Eight of those named in the FIR belong to an “unlawful” outfit, Akhil Bharatiya OBC Mahasabha. They have been booked for promoting hatred and enmity against various groups in the society.
On Sunday, Akhil Bharatiya OBC Mahasabha burnt the copies of Ramcharitmanas written by Bhakti poet Tulsidas in the Vrindavan Yojana of the PGI Kotwali area of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The OBC Mahasabha members announced their support to Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya who recently made objectionable remarks about Ramcharitmanas and called for its ban a few days back. “I don’t have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but a few parts of Ramcharitramanas have insulting comments about particular castes & sects, those should be banned,” Maurya told the media.
The FIR has been filed under various sections of the IPC under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 142 & 143 (being member of unlawful assembly), 153-A (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion) and other serious IPC in Lucknow’s PGI police station.
The complaint was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Satnam Singh Lavi. Station House Officer Brijesh Kumar Yadav said, “The case has been filed against 10 named and several unidentified people at the PGI police station. No one has been arrested till now.”
In his complaint Singh wrote, “The miscreants of OBC Mahasabha tore copies of Ramcharitmanas and then burnt it, raising slogans in support of Maurya. They hampered the peace and harmony of the surrounding area, and offended people who were standing there, thus disturbing brotherhood in society. The group of people indulged in activities that disturbed the law and order of the area.”
In response to FIR, Maurya wrote on Twitter, “I will continue to oppose the conspiracy to humiliate tribals, Dalits-backwards and women in the name of religion. Just as an elephant does not change its gait due to barking of dogs, in the same way, I will not change my point until they are given their due respect.”
Ten people who are accused in the FIR are Devendra Pratap, Yashpal Singh Lodhi, Satyendra Kushwaha, Mahendra Pratap Yadav, Sujeet Yadav, Naresh Singh, SS Yadav, Santosh Verma, Salim, Swami Prasad Maurya and others.