Urdu Poet Munawwar Rana Booked for His Comments on Paris Attacks

Rana said he stood by his statement, “I’m not scared by a minor sub-inspector registering an FIR against me.”

Famous Urdu poet Munawwar Rana was booked at the Hazratganj police station in Uttar Pradesh, for his remarks in support of the recent knife attacks by Islamic extremists in France.

The complaint was registered by sub-inspector Deepak Kumar Pandey, who alleged that Rana in a television interview made objectionable comments. “The statements are potentially promoting enmity between different communities, can have adverse effects on social harmony and disrupt peace,” the FIR added according to The Indian Express.

Rana was referring to the attacks in Paris after a teacher showed cartoons of Prophet Mohammad for the controversial satarical magazine Charlie Hebdo, during a discussion on freedom of expression. This was followed by attacks by Islamic extremists. While Rana condemned the killings and use of Prophet Mohammad sketches, he said would also have acted in the same manner.

He told the television channel, “If someone makes a cartoon of my father, or a disgusting cartoon of my mother, I will kill that person. If someone makes a cartoon of Indian Gods like Mother Sita or Lord Ram, which is disgusting, objectionable and regrettable, I will kill that person. When honor killing has been considered acceptable in India for thousands of years and there is no punishment, then how can you call this illegitimate.”

After the FIR was registered against him Rana continued to stand by statements. He told news-agency ANI that he was anticipating an FIR. “I am not scared by a minor sub-inspector registering an FIR against me.” He reiterated that while killing people is bad, making such cartoons is worse.

Rana has been booked under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 505 1B (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility) of the IPC, along with sections of the Information Technology Act.