Muslim cleric booked for 'objectionable' remarks on SP MP Dimple Yadav

A Muslim cleric has been booked for allegedly making objectionable and inflammatory remarks against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a televised debate, an official said on Monday.

The FIR against cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi was lodged at the Vibhuti Khand police station on Sunday evening on a complaint by local resident Pravesh Yadav. The remarks in question were allegedly made in response to Dimple Yadav's recent visit to a mosque, where the cleric reportedly commented inappropriately on her attire.

The complaint accused Rashidi of making statements that were not only derogatory and misogynistic, but also "highly provocative and aimed at inciting religious disharmony and communal tension," according to the FIR.

Pravesh Yadav alleged that Rashidi's comments, made publicly on social media and national television, were "an affront to a woman's personal dignity" and appeared to be a deliberate attempt to provoke unrest, it showed.

"He made extremely offensive, inflammatory, and anti-women remarks against honourable MP Mrs Dimple Yadav, wife of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, following her presence at a mosque on July 26," Pravesh Yadav said in his written complaint.

"Such statements hurt not only women's dignity but also threaten the unity, integrity, and peace of the nation," he said.

The FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), and 197 (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), among others.

Provisions under the Information Technology Act have also been invoked for the circulation of the content on digital platforms.

In his complaint, Pravesh Yadav further alleged that Rashidi's language and tone indicated an "anti-national mindset" and linked him to a group "working to disturb social harmony in India." "Such elements are a direct threat to the secular, democratic, and inclusive fabric of the country," the complaint added.

A police official said the matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.