Police add stringent charges against Mohammed Zubair in Narsinghanand FIR

“All the previous sections under which the police had framed Zubair were all below seven years of jail term, and therefore there was no arrest required. But then the police added section 152 (BNS) which is known for being monstrous. The personal liberty of people is at stake. We hope that the court will put things back in order,” Grover told The Indian Express.

Section 152 of the BNS, related to alleged acts endangering sovereignty unity and integrity of India, is a non-bailable offence.

Ghaziabad Police had registered an FIR on October 8 against Zubair on a complaint lodged by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust, under BNS sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 356(3) (defamation) and 351(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation), following which Zubair had filed a writ petition before the Allahabad High Court.

Tyagi, in the complaint, alleged that Zubair posted a video clip of an old programme of Narsinghanand’s on October 3 to provoke violence by Muslims against him.