Oncologist, right-wing activist booked over ‘inciting speech’ against Muslim commuity

The Indian Express had reported that during the protest demonstration, abusive comments were made against the minority community and the road outside the hotel was “washed” in order to “purify” it. According to police, the protest was organised by Dr Shah and Pinkal Bhatiya was invited as the chief guest of the event.

The Blue Ivy hotel which is co-owned by Hindu and Muslim partners is currently under a dispute at the Gujarat High Court between the owners and their neighbour Dr Shailesh Shah, who had earlier alleged illegal construction at the hotel premises.

Days after the protest demonstration, police on Tuesday night lodged an FIR against Dr Shah and Bhatiya at Anand Town police station under IPC sections 295a for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class and 114 for crime committed when abettor present.

The complainant in this case is Shakeel Vohra (37), an Imam at a mosque near Fatima Royal Plaza in Anand, who stated, “On October 24, I saw in a local news channel that a protest sabha had been called adjacent to the newly made Hotel Blue Ivy where Pinkal Bhatiya, who was invited as the chief guest, is heard making objectionable and inciting comments against the Muslim community in order to create rift between the communities. Similarly, Dr Shah who had organised the protest was also heard making objectionable comments against the community.”

The FIR happened in the wake of a protest warning by Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), a rights group in Ahmedabad, which threatened to launch an agitation if there was no police action in the Anand case.

Later Mujahid Nafees, convener, MCC told The Indian Express, “Keeping in consideration that police in Anand have lodged an FIR against the incident and perpetrators, we have decided to cancel our planned agitation on Wednesday.”

Yashwant Chauhan, police inspector, Anand Town Police Station, “The FIR has been lodged on Wednesday and we are in the process of collecting supporting documents and evidences and taking statements of the parties involved. Investigation is on.”