Akbaruddin Owaisi is an MLA of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He belongs to All India Majlis-e Ittihad al-Muslimin (MIM) and is its floor leader in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
Owaisi is known for making inflammatory Islamist speeches. In 2007, he threatened to carry out the fatwa to kill Salman Rushdie and behead Taslima Nasreen if they ever visited Hyderabad. In 2011, he said that he would have killed P V Narasimha Rao with his own hands had he not died. Towards end of 2012, Owaisi made several speeches disparaging Hindus and Hindu beliefs, and on December 24 2012, he said at a public meeting in Adilabad that the 250 million Muslims of India needed only 15 minutes without the police to show one billion Hindus of India who is more powerful.
On December 24 2012, Owaisi addressed a rally of twenty to twenty-five thousand Muslims in the Nirmal town of Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. In his two-hour long speech, Owaisi made several inflammatory, disparaging and derogatory comments against majority community.
Owaisi made the statement that Muslims of India would need only 15 minutes without the police to show the Hindus of India who is more powerful. Owaisi called the Hindus as "impotent" and the Indian police as the "impotent army". He said that these people cannot face the Muslims, and whenever the Muslims start dominating the Hindus, the impotent army intervenes.
Owaisi repeatedly called Ajmal Amir Kasab, one of the Pakistani militants of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a "child", and compared him to Narendra Modi. Owaisi justified the Mumbai bombings of 1993 by saying they were a reaction to the demolition of Babri Masjid. Questioning the birth and the birthplace of Rama, Owaisi asked "where all did Kaushalya go to give birth to Rama and where all did Rama take birth". Owaisi mocked Hindu panentheism saying Hindus have many gods and goddesses, and every eight days, new gods keep coming up. In a reference to the Bhagyalakshmi temple in Hyderabad, he said, "We knew about Lakshmi, but who is Bhagyalakshmi, we are not aware. Owaisi talked in derogatory terms about heritage places of India including Ayodhya, Ajanta caves and Ellora caves.’
The assertion was clearly aimed at inciting communal tensions and is unbecoming of a public representative. While the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression, it also imposes reasonable restrictions on this right. Article 19(2) stipulates limitations in the interest of sovereignty and public order, as well as to guard against incitement to an offence.
The FIRs were registered suo moto at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts after the legislator had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month. The notices issued under section 41(A) of CrPC were pasted outside the residence of Akbaruddin in Banjara Hills, as he is reportedly in London for treatment.
The MLA from Chandrayangutta has been booked under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). He has also been booked under IPC Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India).
Owaisi is known for making inflammatory Islamist speeches. In 2007, he threatened to carry out the fatwa to kill Salman Rushdie and behead Taslima Nasreen if they ever visited Hyderabad. In 2011, he said that he would have killed P V Narasimha Rao with his own hands had he not died. Towards end of 2012, Owaisi made several speeches disparaging Hindus and Hindu beliefs, and on December 24 2012, he said at a public meeting in Adilabad that the 250 million Muslims of India needed only 15 minutes without the police to show one billion Hindus of India who is more powerful.
On December 24 2012, Owaisi addressed a rally of twenty to twenty-five thousand Muslims in the Nirmal town of Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. In his two-hour long speech, Owaisi made several inflammatory, disparaging and derogatory comments against majority community.
Owaisi made the statement that Muslims of India would need only 15 minutes without the police to show the Hindus of India who is more powerful. Owaisi called the Hindus as "impotent" and the Indian police as the "impotent army". He said that these people cannot face the Muslims, and whenever the Muslims start dominating the Hindus, the impotent army intervenes.
Owaisi repeatedly called Ajmal Amir Kasab, one of the Pakistani militants of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a "child", and compared him to Narendra Modi. Owaisi justified the Mumbai bombings of 1993 by saying they were a reaction to the demolition of Babri Masjid. Questioning the birth and the birthplace of Rama, Owaisi asked "where all did Kaushalya go to give birth to Rama and where all did Rama take birth". Owaisi mocked Hindu panentheism saying Hindus have many gods and goddesses, and every eight days, new gods keep coming up. In a reference to the Bhagyalakshmi temple in Hyderabad, he said, "We knew about Lakshmi, but who is Bhagyalakshmi, we are not aware. Owaisi talked in derogatory terms about heritage places of India including Ayodhya, Ajanta caves and Ellora caves.’
The assertion was clearly aimed at inciting communal tensions and is unbecoming of a public representative. While the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression, it also imposes reasonable restrictions on this right. Article 19(2) stipulates limitations in the interest of sovereignty and public order, as well as to guard against incitement to an offence.
The FIRs were registered suo moto at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts after the legislator had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month. The notices issued under section 41(A) of CrPC were pasted outside the residence of Akbaruddin in Banjara Hills, as he is reportedly in London for treatment.
The MLA from Chandrayangutta has been booked under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). He has also been booked under IPC Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India).
Reference: Wikipedia; Times of India
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Photo Courtesy: Google Images