FIR against Congress candidate Masood after he threatens to chop Modi into pieces

Congress candidate for Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituency Imran Masood has stirred up a hornets' nest by threatening to "chop Narendra Modi into pieces", and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now sought strict action by the Election Commission for the "inflammatory" speech.

An FIR has been registered against Masood after the video of his controversial speech, which is in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, went viral.

"The FIR has been registered against Masood at Deoband police station of Saharanpur," inspector general of police (Law and Order) Amrendra Sengar said.

He said the Congress nominee has been booked under various sections of the Representation of the People Act, and the IPC.

Masood has been booked under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, district authorities said.

Besides, he has also been booked under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Sengar added.

"If Modi tries to make Uttar Pradesh into Gujarat, then we will chop him into tiny pieces...I am not scared of getting killed or attacking someone. I will fight against Modi. He thinks UP is Gujarat. Only 4 per cent Muslims are there in Gujarat while there are 42 per cent Muslims in UP," the video showed him as saying.

However, Masood later apologised for his remarks, saying, "I should have been more cautious with my words" and that the same were said in the heat of electioneering.

Saharanpur district magistrate and district election officer Sandhya Tiwari said the CD with the recordings of Masood's statement has been forwarded to the Election Commission.

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged that political secularism is being equated with "Talibani secularism" and the kind of language used by Congress leaders is vitiating the atmosphere of elections.

"The Election Commission should take immediate note of it and instruct the state and central governments regarding the serious threat to Modi and other BJP leaders," he said, adding that Congress leaders are indulging in such inflammatory speeches in view of the clear defeat facing them.