INDORE: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui and four others were arrested in Indore Friday night for allegedly making indecent comments to Hindu deities, the Godhra tragedy and the Union Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah, during a show at a cafe in the popular Chhappan Dukan area.
Munawar and others were presented in court on Saturday and sent to jail for 15 days. There were rumors that a crowd attacked them after a video went viral, showing a pair of men beating up a young man who is caught between two policemen on a motorcycle. Police denied that any of the suspects had been beaten and said the young man in the video is a “friend of the accused.”
CSP-central Kotwali BPS Parihar said: “Munawar Faruqui made inflammatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses, about the Godhra incident and about Union Interior Minister Amit Shah at the event organized at The Monroe Café on Friday by the night”.
“The comedian has made such comments in the past in other cities as well. The organizers are local, while Munawar hails from Gujarat, ”added Parihar.
In addition to Munawar, those arrested are event organizers Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas and Nalin Yadav, police said. They have been registered under sections 295A, 188, 298 and 34 of the IPC for outraging religious sentiments by insulting a religion or religious belief, and organizing an event without permission from the district administration.
The case was recorded in a complaint by the Hindu coordinator of the Rakshak Sangathan, Ekalavya Gaud, son of Indore-IV MLA and former mayor of Indore. Malini Gaud.
“Munawar Faruqui has been known to say obscene things about Hindu deities and pokes fun at the Godhra tragedy. When we found out about the show on social media, we bought tickets and reserved seats. As soon as the event began, the comedians began making inflammatory statements against Hindu deities, the top leaders of the BJP, and the Godhra incident. We stopped the program and took them to the police, ”Gaud said. Tukoganj police submitted an FIR and arrested them on Friday night.
Muktas Jain, owner of the cafe, said: “I was not aware of the nature of the program. He was not present at the scene when it happened. ”
Tukoganj Police Station in charge Kamlesh sharma He said the defendants were arrested for allegedly hurting religious feelings. They were presented in court, which sent them to jail. ”
After the defendants were brought to court, a video emerged of a man being carried away on a motorcycle, sandwiched between two policemen. Someone is heard saying that the young man and his friends had made obscene comments about Hindu deities. A man standing by the barricades lunges forward and slaps the young man in police custody.
This video went viral as an attack on Munawar. The police denied that any of the accused had been beaten. CSP Parihar said: “The defendants were not beaten, but their friends were, in the incident on the court campus.”
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