Dwarka speech: AAP’s Italia booked for ‘hurting religious sentiments’

Police said the FIR has been registered against Italia at the Umrala police station on the basis of a complaint filed by one Amit Dangar (31), a land dealer, in Ranghola village late Sunday night. The FIR has been registered under IPC Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 298 (uttering, words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).

In his complaint, Dangar said Italia hurt his religious sentiments by comparing Lord Krishna and the BJP with demons while addressing a public meeting in Dwarka Friday. “At the public meeting in Dwarka on September 2, Gopal Italia said Arvind Kejriwal has come like Arjuna to rescue from Lord Krishna and BJP’s demons. By comparing Lord Krishna with demons, (he) has insulted Lord Krishna. This irresponsible statement has hurt sentiments of Hindus at large,” the FIR quotes Dangar as having stated in his complaint. He added that Italia’s remarks have hurt religious sentiment of the Ahir community to which Dangar belongs.

Italia, however, claimed the allegations were baseless. “These are totally fabricated allegations against me. I have said nothing of the sort as being claimed in the FIR,” the AAP leadre told The Indian Express on Monday.

AAP had organised a big public meeting at the ground of NDH High School in Dwarka of Devbhumi Dwarka Friday. Besides Italia, AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP’s national joint general secretary Isudan Gadhvi had also addressed the public meeting.

Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox

The FIR also records that Dangar had heard Italia’s Dwarka speech on a social media platform and that he had submitted a video CD of the said speech to police.

Italia was earlier booked by the Umra police in Surat for allegedly using “abusive words” against BJP’s Gujarat unit president CR Paatil and Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi. Umra police had booked Italia under IPC Sections 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (1)(b) (offending act inducing person to commit an offence against state or public tranquility), and 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation).