FIR against Nagpur Congress leader for using derogatory language against PM Modi; BJP seeks strict action

An FIR was registered against a Congress leader from Nagpur in Maharashtra for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a demonstration held near the Enforcement Directorate's office, police said on Wednesday.

A case was registered against former Nagpur unit Congress president, Sheikh Hussain, at the Gittikhadan police station on Tuesday night after local BJP leaders submitted a memorandum to DCP, Zone I, Sandip Pakhale. No arrest is made yet.

Police have registered the FIR under sections 294 (punishment for obscene acts committed in public or obscene words spoken in public) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code against Hussain, a Gittikhadan police station official said.

Nagpur (west) BJP unit president Vinod Kanhare is the complainant in the case.

According to the complaint, Hussain had used derogatory language against the prime minister while addressing Congress workers during a protest held near the office of the ED on Monday to express solidarity with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was quizzed in Delhi in connection with a money laundering case.

The BJP has demanded strict action against Hussain for making ''hateful'' remarks and said this highlights the low the main opposition party has fallen.

In Delhi, Union minister Anurag Thakur demanded strict action against Hussain and said an apology should also be tendered.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, ''Such hateful comments highlight the low and shallowness to which the Congress' mindset has fallen''. Meanwhile, the BJP said in Nagpur that their lawyers are examining the FIR and the party will decide the future course of action accordingly. Nagpur city BJP president Pravin Datke told PTI that their legal team is examining the IPC sections invoked against Hussain. ''We will help the police if they take proper action in this regard. If appropriate action is not taken, then a BJP delegation will meet the Nagpur police commissioner under the leadership of senior party leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule,'' he said. Demanding action against the Congress leader, BJP spokesperson Chandan Goswami said one can protest in democracy but should refrain from using objectionable words and maintain the dignity of the Constitutional post of the prime minister.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)