Modi books us on freedom day

While Nafisa Ali—a former Miss India and now brand ambassador of Action Aid, an NGO working in India for 30 years—has been named as the prime accused, IPC Section 153A and Section 114 have been slapped against The Indian Express. In a second case, the editor of Divya Bhaskar has been booked under both sections.

Section 153A is used against ‘‘promoting enmity between different groups…and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.’’ Section 114 books the ‘‘abettor when offence is committed.’’

Senior police inspector V M Barot, who lodged the FIR at Satellite police station late Thursday night, has alleged that Ali and three staffers of the The Indian Express — reporter Anurita Rathore, the Editor and the Publisher — ‘‘created tension between two communities’’ and had made Chief Minister Narendra Modi ‘‘the medium of this illegal activity.’’

The FIR has to do with an article published in Express’s Ahmedabad Newsline featuring Ali’s visit to the city the previous day. A similar article was also published on August 5 by Divya Bhaskar.

The FIR finds three portions ‘‘objectionable’’ in the report on Nafisa Ali’s press conference.

• Speaking on those Muslims booked for the post-Godhra riots, she said they were ‘‘not Muslims…but people who were roped in to be anti-social elements because they belonged to a particular community that happens to be minority. Also because political leaders governing Gujarat State are bent upon playing the communal card.’

• ‘‘It’s amazing how Narendra Modi can say that it’s Pakistan behind it all! Indeed, what Britishers couldn’t do, Modi has done: he’s divided people on the basis of communalism.’’

• ‘‘I have been to Ayodhya, to the Ram Janmabhoomi…the sadhus there are fed up as well. Just like people of Hitler’s country are ashamed of him, people will be of Modi, too.’’

• In the Divya Bhaskar piece, Nafisa Ali is quoted as saying: ‘‘It is my message to the youth not to become Osama Bin Laden or Narendra Modi.’’ And: ‘‘There is lack of responsibility among politicians, administration and the judges.’’

Sources in the state home department said that the government had decided to lodge criminal cases against the two newspapers and had also given verbal instructions over telephone to the police. But it later sought an opinion from the state legal department on the matter.

Sources said that Secretary Bela Trivedi of the legal department said that offences under sections 153A and 114 could be made out against Ali and the two newspapers.

It was then that the police registered an FIR. When The Indian Express contacted Director General of Police K Chakravarthy, he said: ‘‘I have just reached after 24 hectic hours at Patan. I will have to go through the FIRs first.’’

Said senior police inspector Barot,the complainant: ‘‘There is a clear criminal case in this matter. How can you print something which instigates people and which is against our beloved Chief Minister Narendra Modi?’’

Incidentally, Barot, before lodging an FIR, sent four of his men to the office of The Indian Express for a copy of the August 5 edition of the paper.

On Friday, he said that statements of all those named in the FIR would be recorded and action taken accordingly.