Mumbai: An FIR has been filed against BJP MLA Nitesh Rane and Telangana legislator T Raja Singh, among others, for alleged hate speech during a 'Hindu Jan Aakrosh' rally in Solapur, approximately 400 kilometers from Mumbai, as confirmed by a police official on Sunday.
The rally, held between Rajendra Chowk and Kanna Chowk on Saturday, witnessed the participation of leaders from the Sakal Hindu Samaj, an alliance of multiple groups. Office bearers from this alliance were also named in the FIR, stated an official from the Jail Road police station.
Rane's references to 'jihadis' and mosque demolitions, along with Singh's objectionable statements on 'love jihad'—the latter being the MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad—prompted the legal action, the official specified.
"We have pressed charges against Rane, Raja Singh, Sakal Hindu Samaj's Sudhakar Mahadev Bahirwade, and 8-10 others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code," said the official.
The case has been registered under sections 153A (creating enmity between different groups based on religion), 295A (intentional insult to religious beliefs causing religious feelings to outrage), and other relevant sections, he added.
—Input from Agencies