Incidents of violence independent of speeches: Delhi Police to Court in plea for hate speech FIR against Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Sahib Singh

In response to Brinda Karat's hate speech complaint against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Sahib Singh, the Delhi Police today informed a Special MP/MLA Court that prima facie, no cognizable offence has been found to been committed.

In its report submitted to the Court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has submitted that the complainant has made a presumption that the speeches by Thakur and Singh incited violence in areas near Jamia Millia Islamia.

"...incidents of violence...are independent act which did not have any connection to the speeches mentioned in the complaint", the Report states.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has further stated that a legal opinion is being sought in connection with the complaint.

The Court had sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the DCP, New Delhi, pursuant to an application filed by CPI(M) leaders Brinda Karat and KM Tiwari under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)..

After hearing arguments in the matter, the Court reserved its order in Karat's application for March 2.

Karat and Tiwari had sought a direction to the Parliament Street Police Station to register an FIR against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma for the commission of offences under Sections 153A/153B/295A/298/504/506 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

In the application filed before the Court, the applicants had stated that Anurag Thakur, during a rally in Rithala in Delhi, raised chants of “Desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maaro saalon ko” (Shoot the traitors) with reference to those taking part in peaceful protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

It was further stated that Parvesh Singh Sahib, on the other hand, gave an interview to ANI on January 28, wherein he could be seen making false, provocative and communal statements against the Shaheen Bagh protestors.

His statement was as follows:

“ye log gharon me ghusenge, aapki behen betiyon ko uthaenge aur unko rape karenge, unko marenge. Isliye aaj samay hai. Kal Modi Ji nahi aaenge bachane..kal Amit Shah nahi aaenge bachane.. [These people will enter your house and rape and kill your your sisters and daughters. Tomorrow (Prime Minister) Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah will not come to save you]”.

The applicants were represented by Advocates Tara Narula, Adit Pujari, Nupur Aggarwal, Chaitanya Sundriyal and Aparajita Sinha.