A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK leader, Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Congress Minister in Karnataka, Priyank Kharge, in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur for allegedly "hurting religious sentiments" in connection with their remarks on 'Sanatana Dharma', Rampur Police told The Quint.
What is the case? The leaders, who are part of the 'INDIA' bloc, have been booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the FIR accessed by The Quint stated.
The FIR, based on the complaints of lawyers Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi, was registered at the Civil Lines police station in Rampur on the evening of Tuesday, 5 September.
What is the 'Sanatana Dharma' controversy? Udhayanidhi, who is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Saturday, 2 September, equated 'Sanatana Dharma' with diseases like "dengue, malaria and COVID-19," and said that it must be "eradicated."
While his statement drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the DMK's allies in the 'INDIA' bloc, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge came out in support of him on Monday, 4 September, stating that "any religion that does not promote equality ... is not a religion, according to me. So it is as good as a disease."
What else did the FIR say? The complainants, in the FIR, cited media reports and said that "by reading this indecent language, the religious sentiments of the applicants have been deeply hurt.
"Udayanidhi Stalin's act adversely affected the maintenance of enmity and harmony between different groups on the basis of religion," the complaint stated.
It added that Priyank "has given a speech supporting the indecent speech of Udhayanidhi Stalin," further hurting the religious sentiments of the complainants, who are "followers of Sanatana Dharma."
Why is this important? Issuing a threat in response to Udhayanidhi's statement on Tuesday, 5 September, a seer from Ayodhya, Paramhans Acharya, placed a bounty of Rs 10 crore on "Udhayanidhi's head," adding that "if required, I myself will behead MK Stalin's son, and I will also increase the bounty of ₹10 crore if that is not enough for beheading him."
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