Ghaziabad assault case: SP leader Ummed Pahalwan tried giving communal colour via Facebook Live, booked
The Ghaziabad Police has booked a local Samajwadi Party leader on charges of “spreading communal hatred” via social media in connection with the assault case of an elderly man. The leader has been identified as Ummed Pahalwan Idrisi.
Idrisi had accompanied Sufi Abdul Samad Saifi, the man who was assaulted by six people, to the police station to file a case on June 7. He later performed a Facebook Live with Samad and tried giving communal colour to the incident.
The Ghaziabad Police has filed an FIR against the SP leader, accusing him of making the Loni assault video go viral “on religious grounds” without checking its authenticity first. The complainant alleged that this has hurt the religious sentiments of people. FIR also states that Facebook did not fact-check the video and allowed it to be shared.
According to the FIR, Idrisi has been charged under sections 153A (promoting enmity), 295A (outraging religious feelings), 504 (insult), 505 (intent to incite) and 67 (transmitting obscene material online). The case was registered at Loni Border police station.
A video recently went viral on social media where six people could be seen trashing an elderly man.
On June 5, 72-year-old Sufi Abdul Samad Saifi was abducted and beaten up by 6 assailants. They also chopped off the victims` beards and it was reported that the victim was made to chant slogans like "Jai Shree Ram" and "Vande Mataram".
Two days later, Samad lodged an FIR against unidentified persons. He was accompanied by Idrisi. Later, Samad took part in a Facebook Live with Ummed during which he said he was not only thrashed by the assailants, but also forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.
However, the Ghaziabad Police have ruled out any communal angle in the incident and said the victim knew the assailants personally. The police have arrested the three accused who had trashed the elderly victim.
Äccording to the FIR, "The victim sold a 'tabeez' (amulet) to the key accused with the promise that it will bring him prosperity but he [Parvesh] complained that it had an adverse effect on his family. When the' tabeez' did not work, the accused got angry and had beaten the victim."
On Tuesday night, the Ghaziabad Police filed an FIR against Twitter, journalists and two Congress leaders for sharing the video online with an intention to provoke communal unrest.
ALSO READ: Ghaziabad assault case: BJP MLA files complaint against Rahul Gandhi, Asaduddin Owaisi
ALSO READ: 'You should be ashamed': Adityanath responds to Rahul Gandhi on Ghaziabad incident
