Hate speech: FIR lodged against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur

The Karnataka Police have booked FIR against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur for delivering hate speech during her recent visit to the state, police confirmed on Thursday. The FIR has been registered in the Kote police station of Shivamogga city. The case has been registered under IPC Sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153 (B) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 268 (public nuisance), 295 (A) (deliberate, malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings). IPC Section 298 (deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person), 504 (intentional insult, giving provocation to cause to break the public peace) and 508 (act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of the Divine Displeasure). The Karnataka Police had also issued a notice to the complainant Tehseen Poonawalla, a venture capitalist and political analyst, to join the probe. Poonawalla had lodged a complaint against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur in connection with alleged blasphemous speech against the minority community during her recent visit to Karnataka. Poonawalla lodged the complaint through social media with Shivamogga Superintendent of Police (SP) G.K. Mithun Kumar. The complainant had also attached the copy of complaint to the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The notice had been sent by the Kote police station to Poonawalla through email to join the inquiry. Pragya Thakur had participated in the Hindu Jagarana Vedike’s South Annual Convention organised in Shivamogga city on Sunday and visited the residence of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, who was hacked to death for spearheading the campaign against hijab. The complaint alleged that Pragya Singh Thakur made a highly blasphemous and derogatory speech against the minority community while speaking at the function. She had asked people to give a befitting answer to love jihad.