Mumbai: An FIR was filed on Friday at Agripada police station against Hindu spiritual leader Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj for his comments on Prophet Mohammad and his wife Ayesha. Earlier, complaints were filed at Pydhonie, Mahim, Nirmal Nagar police stations in Mumbai.
The All India Ayeema Masjid Council, said that the comments made by Ramgiri Maharaj while speaking at an event in Panchale in Sinnar, Nashik, has caused a law and order problem in the country. Maulana Amanullah Raza Shaikh, a member of the group, said, “I hope the law will do its work. The man who made the comments against our prophet cannot be a religious person because no religious person can doubt the exemplary qualities of our prophet. He should apologise to the community.”
Ramgiri Maharaj, who has an ashram at Goda Dham, Sarala Bet, Ahmednagar, had made the comments on August 15 while speaking about the events in Bangladesh and the attack on Hindus and their institutions. Videos of his speech which are circulating on social media have led to protests across the country, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
On Wednesday, Muslim Ulemas and community leaders met the Director General of Police of Maharashtra, Rashmi Shukla, to submit a memorandum seeking the arrest of Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj.
In Mumbai, apart from the FIRs, a petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court to draw the court's notice that police have not arrested Ramgiri Maharaj despite multiple FIRs.
The petition said that the accused is influential and may tamper with evidence. The petition said that an FIR was filed at Pydhonie police station on August 18 under sections 196, 299, 302 and other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that covers offences like promoting enmity between different groups and outraging religious beliefs.
The petition says that as the police have not responded to the complaints, there was no other remedy but to approach the courts. “FIRs have been filed across the country. The police should respond to the complaints and arrest the man,” said Shaikh.
